A Second Chance
by Fall's Plight
Summary: The year is 2044, over a hundred years since her death. With a great evil threatening to reoccur for the third time, the world may have no choice but to call forth her power in hopes that she may bring about the salvation of the world. CHAPTER 9 UP!
1. Prolouge: Suffering and Hope

Disclaimer: Chrno Crusade and its characters do not belong to me and they never will. If they did, I would change the ending!!  
  
Which leads me to the reason that I am writing this fanfiction. Even though the ending scene with Chrno and Rosette was beautiful, it made me so sad. And when it turns out that Aion was alive around 50 years later, then why couldn't Chrno be alive? And that led me to think of this idea for this fanfiction. It will take a chapter or two for the story to pick up pace, but I don't want to make it too fast pace, as I am still working out the ideas for the story, so any suggestions would be welcome, as I will probably be making things up as I go along too. Now that you have all read my very long sentence, I am pleased to say...  
  
ON WITH THE FIC!!

* * *

The year is 2044, over a hundred years since her death. With an evil threatening to reoccur for the third time, the world may have no choice but to call forth her power, and reunite her with what killed her, in hopes that she may bring about the salvation of the world. Chrno x Rosette, Joshua x Az

* * *

When she died, I thought that I had died too. I might as well have. What did I have to live for? She was the one I protected. She was my reason to live. I just couldn't get over her. It was different with Magdelena. I loved her. But I didn't really know who I loved. When she died I mourned for the loss of my lover. Then a new light came into my life. A different one. She didn't care that I was a demon. She had always believed in the impossible. She had to. What else could she do when she had a dying brother?  
  
She wanted to braid my hair. She laughed at me. She laughed with me. When she became my contractor it pained me. She would add to the blood on my hands. By then she had, had already a place in my heart. But as she grew and became even more beautiful she found even more places in my heart. I changed because of her. I loved her. So much that it hurt.  
  
Every time I looked at the watch around her neck, I was in pain. I cursed it. The stupid old thing that would kill her. I cursed myself. A useless, hornless demon that was using up her life. I wanted to protect her. Fight away her fears. Keep her safe. She loved me too. I could see it in her eyes. She told me too. Only a few times though. She didn't look like the shy type. Yet, there was a maidenly shyness around her whenever she told me. But she didn't need to. I saw it in her eyes. I felt it whenever we hugged. I felt it whenever we kissed.  
  
She was in my arms when she died. She didn't want to die. She was scared too. She wanted to live longer. Too see more of the world. But she died. I was the cause of her fear. I stole her life away. I couldn't protect her. But the last thing she said to me was thank you. What was she thanking me for killing her?  
  
She was smiling when she died. I wanted to die too. I thought I did. I remember smiling, thinking that maybe God would let me see her, from time to time. Even though I was cursed to be kept in the flames of hell, maybe I could see her, in heaven, from afar. She was always an angel to me. Now she could become a real one.  
  
But I couldn't even have this. Everyone else thought I was dead too. After they moved our bodies, I disappeared. I don't even know where she was buried. I couldn't leave flowers for her. Or even watch over her as I had with Magdelena. That pained me. But I trusted that Azamaria would find a place that she would have wanted to be buried. Azamaria would turn out like Rosette. Compassionate, kind, energetic and loving. Rosette would have like that.  
  
No matter how grave my wounds were, or how much they had hurt for the past four years. I still couldn't die. Maybe there was a reason why I was still alive. But it has been 116 years since she had died. I still don't see a reason for my existence. I have my horns back. But I would have gladly given them up to see her one more time. To just hold her one more time.  
  
Every time I saw the Magdelena symbol, I saw her face. As beautiful as always. Still smiling. Maybe fate liked torturing me. For the past 16 years I have been having dreams about her. She was always calling to me. Standing so far away that I could barely see her. But I knew it was her. Her shinning golden hair, her melodious voice. I would run after her, chasing her for hours. But she never seemed to get any closer to me. She was so close, yet so far. It was heaven. It was hell.  
  
Then one night, in my dream, I caught up to her.  
  
She smiled at me and disappeared.  
  
Yes she disappeared.  
  
But  
  
I caught up to her.  
  
That was all that mattered.  
  
It had to mean something.

* * *

-End Prologue-  
  
So what do you guys think? I was going to add something, like a little monologue from... umm.... Not going to say! This was kind of depressing to write, but I don't fell too bad, because I know that the future chapters are going to be happier.  
  
So please review and tell me what you think! 


	2. Chapter 1: Modern Day Life

Disclaimer: Chrno Crusade and its characters do not belong to me and they never will. If they did, I would change the ending!!

* * *

Thank you so much for all the reviews!!! I'm writing another fanfic, and it's for Spiral and no one reviewed, so I was so sad. And then with this story I get 6 reviews in less than a day!! So I'm pretty happy about that. I'm typing pretty fast (or so I like to think) so the next chapter should come out, pretty quick. Just check my bio for the progress on chapters.  
  
**NightElfCrawler**: Glad to have caught your attention. Yea the ending did suck, so that why I'm rewriting it... or it is continuing it? Hmm not to sure! Oh yea and you're my 1st reviewer, so thanx!!!  
  
**just a reader**: yea when I said that Aion come back 50 years later, I took that from the ending of the anime. Theres prob going to be spoilers, so I hope that your not the kind that hates spoilers! And thanx 4 the encouragement!  
  
**Chrnocatfleas aka Akuma**: don't worry I will.  
  
**Rosette Christopher**: thanx 4 the congrats  
  
**Evilanimeblond22**: aww thanx, and I look forward to hearing from you in the future!  
  
**Ruby-dream:** your rite, I read the manga ending and watched the anime endings and their both so painful the read and watch! So this (for me) makes up for it. :)

* * *

The year is 2044, over a hundred years since her death. With an evil threatening to reoccur for the third time, the world may have no choice but to call forth her power, and reunite her with what killed her, in hopes that she may bring about the salvation of the world. Chrno x Rosette, Joshua x Az  
  
I've always felt that something was missing in my life. There was just some aspect that was missing. I lead a pretty good life. I live with my brother, who's a year younger than me, in an okay sized apartment. Were orphans, but it's never really bothered me all that much. It's like I've been used to it. But that's pretty strange, considering the fact that I've only been one for about four years now. That's not very long if you compare that to my age. I'm only sixteen. So that's about... um... what 25% of my life? I've never been that good at math. Joshua is the wiz of the family, or should I say of the two of us.  
  
That's just the blood family, though. Yuan could be considered family. He's like a long lost uncle that Yuan Remington. He's a pretty cool guy. Like for example when he became our guardian he let us change our first names, so that we could 'have a fresh start on life'. He wouldn't let us change our last name, Christopher, which kind of defeats the purpose. But I'm so glad that he let us change our first names. My parents were crazy to call me Betty. Betty Christopher. What a stupid name. At least Joshua didn't get such a bad name. I think that our parents had smartened up enough to pick out a better name like Kevin. But Kevin Christopher still didn't suit him all that much.  
  
It's a little inside joke in between us three to what we changed our names to. Yuan kept calling us, by accident, Rosette and Joshua. He said that we reminded him of kids he used to know, that had those names. So when he let us change our name, that's what we changed them too, Rosette and Joshua. Way cooler than Betty and Kevin. Yuan didn't mind one bit, he said that we were destined to have those names. We moved too, so everyone wouldn't have to relearn out names.  
  
Yuan even has a good job, none of those boring office jobs, where you sit down and work all day. He's a private exorcist. And he's taught me and Joshua 'the skills of his field'. I like it. Sometimes, when we don't have too much homework we go out and help him. Or if it's a really hard job, then I don't give a damn about my homework and go with him anyways. School can be such a pain sometimes. I'm in grade eleven and I don't plan on going to a university, in fact I would have dropped out already if Yuan hadn't forbidden it. I'll just work with him; he can certainly use all the help he can get.  
  
But like I was saying I've always felt that something had been missing in my life. I just couldn't get rid of that nagging feeling. I had to find out what it was. So my best bet was to talk to Yuan about it, maybe he could answer my questions.

* * *

DECEMBER 10TH, 2044. NEW YORK, NEW YORK.  
  
Rosette sat across from Yuan at the table. Joshua was in his room doing some homework. She glanced up, somewhat nervously, her fingers fiddling with the full cup of hot chocolate in front of her.  
  
"You should drink up Rosette, while it's still warm." Yuan warned, "December should be cold enough to warrant a hot chocolate." He gave her a warm smile.  
  
"Ano, Yuan, I want to talk to you about something." Rosette started. She glanced quickly up at Yuan, who nodded at her to continue. "I've been feeling... like something is missing. Some part of my life. A big part of my life..." Rosette trailed off.  
  
Yuan looked at her. Her body posture showed that she was nervous and unsure of herself, which was quite rare for Rosette. The headstrong blond teenager, was usually very head strong and had lots of self confidence. He had a suspicion about what it was. But he was willing to wait to hear all that she had to say before jumping to conclusions.  
  
"It's like I'll be doing something and then I'll turn to say something to this person, except that their not there. And then I'll feel this empty ache inside of me. At first, it didn't happen too much, but then it became more frequent. It started about four years ago. That's when Mom and Dad died so I don't know if I'm starting to miss my parents or something. Not that I'm saying that you're a bad guardian." She finished quickly  
  
Yuan nodded acceptingly, "No I don't quite think that you are missing your parents." Four years ago she was at the age when she met Chrno, "Continue"  
  
"Ya, well I was thinking that too. I've also been having these dreams. I'm standing somewhere, in a felid, a build, or sometimes just nowhere and there's this person running towards me. Sometimes it's a boy dressed in bright red. Sometimes it's a man dressed in this really old style western clothes. Other times it's this demon with bat wings and kind of looks like a human. But usually it's a man that looks like he's in his early twenties, and he'd dressed in all black. They all have one thing in common; they have really long braided purple hair and crimson eyes."  
  
Yuan knew what Rosette was missing. She was missing Chrno, her demon counterpart. He had expected this to happen for sometime now. Both Rosette and Joshua had been exhibiting similar traits to their look-alikes that had lived over 100 years ago. Joshua's illness and healing powers, Rosette's skill with a gun... He was actually quite surprised that she hadn't mentioned anything earlier. But then he shouldn't have been. Most girls her age were going into and out of relationships at a pace that would have been seen as scandalous years. So this would have distracted her a bit.  
  
However for all his waiting, Yuan had no idea how to tell Rosette that she was feeling the lingering of a love so strong that it has lasted over a hundred years and through her death, when she hadn't even had a boyfriend.  
  
"Usually he's just running," Rosette continued, "towards me. And I'm calling him, I want so badly for him to reach me, I don't even know why! But he never does. He goes on running for hours. I call to him for hours and I don't even know who he is." She trailed off, her eyes dropping to the table.  
  
Yuan looked at her with sad eyes. Her heart recognized him, but her mind was questioning his appearance.  
  
"But last night was different." Rosette looked straight at him, reading the sadness in his eyes and sending back a questioning gaze of her own. "He reached me. I smiled at him and then he disappeared."  
  
Yuan gave her a calculating glance. "How did you feel when he caught up to you?"  
  
"I felt happy. It was like I was whole." Rosette replied.  
  
Yuan rubbed his temples with both of his hands. He had no clue what to tell her. He just couldn't say that she lived over a hundred years ago, lost her brother, fell in love with a demon, disappeared, and then died. Not only would that scare her, she would think that he was crazy.  
  
"I have some type of idea of what you are missing." He started. "Buts it's not in my place to tell you what."  
  
"WHAT?!" Rosette shouted. She jumped up from the table and slammed her hands down. Gone was the unsure teen of thirty seconds ago and in its place was a angry one. "You can't just tell me, that you know what I'm missing and then say that 'it's not in my place to tell you what.' She mimicked in a low voice. "That's a bunch of bullshi-"  
  
"Language." Yuan warned the spazing teen.  
  
Rosette continued as if she had never heard him, "I've been having these dreams and feeling for over four years! And you have the nerve to tell me..."  
  
Yuan let Rosette's voice go out of focus. From past experiences, he knew that she could go on for hours. All that he would have to watch out for was her body language, if she was about to punch him, then he has better get out of her way fast. The young blond might have not been that tall, but she certainly could pack a punch. That and shoot a gun, speaking of which, did he leave any guns around in the open where she could easily get to them?  
  
Yuan's train of thought was interrupted as Joshua, attracted by Rosette's shouting, had wandered into the kitchen or the apartment and was starting at them with a half dazed look. He had probably just woken up from a nap.  
  
"Ano, what's going on?" He inquired quietly.  
  
His only reply was an amused smile and raised eyebrows from Yuan, and Rosette probably didn't even know that he was here. She was still shouting at Yuan and was getting a bit red in the face. Joshua wondered when was the last time that she had taken a breath, probably a couple paragraphs ago, judging by how red she was getting. What was she shouting about anyways?  
  
"Hey, Nee-san... You should breath." But his suggestion was unheard by his blond sister, who was still shouting and getting even redder.  
  
Oh well, there was nothing he could do about it. The best thing he could do right now was go back to sleep and hope that she would calm down and breathe before she fainted. He would find out why she was screaming later. And what had he been doing before he fell asleep? Oh yea, homework. It was boring; no wonder he had fallen asleep. Just because he was smart, didn't mean that he had to like homework.  
  
And thinking these thoughts, Joshua exited the room, intent on getting more sleep.  
  
Yuan had gone back to looking out for guns when Joshua has left, but both his search and Rosette's shouting were interrupted by the phone ringing. Yuan walked over and picked up the phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Rosette watched him as he talked to the person on the other side of the line. It was obviously a business call, meaning that he would be gone in around five minutes to take care of a demon, and or a demon worshipper, you usually found the two together. Hopefully she would be gone with him, once again escaping the responsibility of doing homework, if only for a time being.  
  
Yuan put the phone down and looked at her, "Ready to go on a job?"  
  
Rosette didn't even think of her answer, "Hell ya!"  
  
It was only when they were walking out the door, laden with guns, holy water, scareds, gospels, and some other equipment that Rosette took note of her white long-sleeve blouse, mid-thigh length maroon kilt, and navy blue knee socks.  
  
"Mou, Yuan," She said, "I'm still in my uniform!"

* * *

-End Ch.1-  
  
Wells that's it for chapter one ppl! Hope that you liked it!  
  
I called Remington by his first name, Yuan, for a couple reasons. One was that if Rosette and Joshua had been living with him for four years and had known him before that, then they must be pretty familiar with him and thus call him by his first name. The second one, was that obviously Yuan is way shorter then Remington, and easier to spell too!! 

Oh and if you've noticed Rosette swears a little bit. Well since she wasn't a nun this time around, then she would be swearing right?

* * *

Oh and almost forgot! Here's a little preview of the next chapter:

_Long purple braided hair, crimson eyes, "You're the guy from my dream!" Rosette shouted._

_Chrno gave a small gasp, he knew that voice. Turning he looked at her, eyes filling with longing and recognition, "Rosette!"_

Well thats the little preview of either the next chapter or the one after that, haven't decided yet.

* * *

Don't forget to review on your way out! 


	3. Chapter 2: Trouble at the Bank

Disclaimer: Chrno Crusade and its characters do not belong to me and they never will. If they did, I would change the ending!!

* * *

Sorry that this came out a bit late (I put when I'm going to post the next chapter and how much of the chapter is done on my bio) but I had a hard time writing this chapter. When I get an idea I write it, it might be for three chapters ahead, or the chapter that I'm working on now, and I really couldn't get that many ideas for this chapter. But I do have a really nice fluffy seen with Chrno and Rosette later on that comes out in umm... I don't know at least five more chapters? But I do have a lot of the next chapter already written so it won't take so long to come out. And I'm sorry if it wasn't the reunion that you guys were expecting. They might be a little out of character here, but I'm trying to keep them in character as much as possible. Well except for Chrno, because after all those years, he's probably going to be a little possessive about Rosette, which would make his personality not as passive as it was in the anime and manga.

* * *

**NightElfCrawler:** I'm working on the length, aren't the chapters getting longer? see! See! Points finger at screen lol. ;) what can I say? I just luv torturing my readers. Heh And you're my 1st reviewer again! Thanx!  
  
**Rosette** **Christopher:** glad to hear from you again and here's the little reunion! (well at least part of it) lol  
  
**Evilanimeblond22:** glad that you like it so much! And yup there's definitely going to be some fluff and romance, but I don't know how good I'm at that. But I'll try! hehe  
  
**just a reader:** I'll put in some of their daily life in just for you, some in this chapter and more in future ones, but it's going to be daily life with Chrno in it! (And if that's not chaotic enough, daily life for them must be pretty chaotic anyways, nee?) I didn't know that Magdelena had dreams about Chrno... oh wait I did! slaps self on head, but I didn't think about that when I was writing this. Hmmm. Food for thought. Honestly I have no idea why Remington has a Chinese first name and a European last name, maybe its because he has demon implants. Haven't you noticed that all the humans have European names, and all the demons have Chinese/Japanese names? Hmmm, maybe that's why, weird... oh well.  
  
**Ruby-dream:** here your update! And so glad that someone is glad that Rosette is alive. Wait... that didn't make any sense, aren't we all glad that she's alive again? Oh well, stupid me!  
  
**Star Sage:** Well, my last chapter may have been a little rushed, but I wrote it all in one night! What can I say? Your right about it sounding like a chat log, I don't want to go that far, but each character has certain speech pattern's right? So since I made Rosette into a sort of modern teenager (with a trigger happy finger, jks!) she's going to be using some informal speech. But thanks for the warning. Hehe and thanks for the review for the 1st chapter. I didn't want his thoughts to be corny and I'm so glad that you thought that they weren't.

* * *

The year is 2044, over a hundred years since her death. With an evil threatening to reoccur for the third time, the world may have no choice but to call forth her power, and reunite her with what killed her, in hopes that she may bring about the salvation of the world. Chrno x Rosette, Joshua x Az

* * *

Rosette slunk lower in her seat, and blew her bangs out of her eyes in frustration. She thought that the job might have been a challenge, or at least she could shoot at something. Not that saying she was a gun-crazy- maniac, but she had been dragged out here for nothing!

Okay, maybe not dragged, in fact she had jumped at the idea of going out, but that didn't matter. When they got to the place where the demon worshipper was supposed to be, there was nothing. Sure there was a shrine and these gross looking skulls, but other than that, it was empty. No demon worshipper, no human sacrifices, or any sacrifices of any sort. Maybe the guy had chicken out at the last second, and decided not to summon a demon. Or it could have been a false alarm, an over-paranoid person calling in and making things up.

Huffing again, Rosette slunk even lower, so that she could barely see out of the window of the car. It was so unfair!

"Rosette," Yuan's voice interrupted her mental 'thinking', "Do you mind if I stop by the Archives for a little bit? I want to check something out."

"How long will it take?" Rosette asked absently, tilting her head up to see out of the window better in her slouched state. "I still have homework."

"Not long."

Not that it really mattered how long it took, both of them knew that Rosette would go to any lengths to avoid doing her homework and then panic that it wasn't done and end up staying up really late, or waking up early to complete it.

"Kay." She responded.

The archives were situated around Central Park (1), it used to be a Magdelena Montessori, but after that closed down during the Second World War, and it was turned into the Archives. The Archives was a place where people could go to get information on demons, the types, which ones were the most dangerous, past attacks, where registered demons were currently living. Normally people involved in the exorcism business or people that worked with the government to manage registered demons or very rarely the odd demon that came look up information were the only ones that came to the old buildings.

As they turned up the long driveway that led into the parking lot, Rosette studied the buildings, which had to be over a hundred years old. She always felt at peace here, maybe it had something to do with the fact that it used to be a house of God.

"Meet me out here in about forty-five minutes, okay?" Yuan said. He looked at the young blond beside him that seemed lost in her own thoughts. "Did you even hear me?"

"Ya, ya, forty-five minutes, got it." Rosette responded, with a careless wave of her hand as she wandered off towards an old beaten down cottage.

"Don't get lost." He said.

"Have I ever?" She responded, slightly turning her head, so that he could see her sapphire eyes.

Yuan turned his back to her and started walking towards the main part of the buildings. No she had never gotten lost, he hardly had to tell her where everything was when he first took her here, four years ago. He had been the one, in both of her lifetimes to show her the Montessori. It was quite ironic. They were even back here to search for someone. Not her brother this time and Rosette was completely unaware of their reason for coming, but he had to find an old friend.

I'm doing this for you Rosette, he thought as he entered the buildings where he had spent the early years of his life in, well, actually for the both of you.

* * *

Rosette stopped outside of the beaten down cottage that was set away from all the other buildings. This was her favorite place to go to, when she visited the archives. She had always had a sense of familiarity when she was around the old cottage.

It used to be a place where weapons were built to use against demons. Rosette closed her eyes and could just imagine how it was like a hundred years ago, being a nun that hunted down demons that terrorized the citizens of New York City. Racing around in the rain, with guns in both hands, crashing cars against buildings...

Oi where had that come from? Suppressing a sigh that had threatened to come out at that thought she opened the door and stepped into the building. Now the old cottage was used to house the history of the Montessori turned Archives and some of the history on the nun's and ministers that used to inhabit the place.

Rosette walked over to the cabinets that held the history of the Montessori. Pulling out a paper she began to read out loud. "The New York branch of the Magdelena Order was founded in 1904 by Sister Alys. It closed in 1947 due to the lack of people residing in it. Many of the nuns and ministers were called out to other branches across the United States of America during this chaotic era. The last Head Nun, Sister Azamaria Hendrick, decided to turn the Order into the archives that we know today, along with the help of the former Head Nun, Sister Kate. Their reason for doing so was so that _others would have a place to go to when no one else could answer their questions_."

Rosette put the paper away; she had read it all before. The only thing that had interested her when she first read it was the concept of registered demons. They were demons who lived among humans in peace. The government knew where they lived and checked up on them from time to time. She would really like to meet a registered demon one day. She had mentioned this to Yuan and he said that she would most likely meet a demon that would help them in their business.

The idea was pretty interesting in itself, demons fighting other demons. Speaking of which, that reminded her, Yuan had told her were she could find a file on a nun whose partner was a demon. She hadn't gotten the name from him; he said that he forgot which was quite unlikely since he hardly forgot anything. He was probably just too lazy to answer.

She dug a wrinkled piece of paper out of the inside pocket her school kilt.  
  
C-R16

Rosette wound her way through the cabinets, looking for section C. Here it was, right now look for R16, just her luck that it had to be on one of the top shelves. Standing on her tip-toes Rosette grabbed the file and ending up tripping and crashing down on the floor.

She looked at the file; it was so old that she couldn't make out the name of the sister. She flipped open the folder and started to read the faded script on the first page outloud.

"Recorded by Sister Azamaria. In memory of an inseparable duo who conquered amazing odds together. May you be as happy in death as you were in life. Geez, sounds depressing." Rosette murmered.

She lifted her head to look outside a nearby and window and saw the sun setting.

"Hey that's pretty beautiful." She didn't see the sunset everyday, usually she was too busy. Rosette returned her attention to the file, only the snap her head up again and look at the on coming darkness.

"Crap! How long have I been here?" She cast a hurried look at her watch. "Shit! Ten minutes late!"

Rosette grabbed the file and ran out the door to the parking lot where Yuan was leaning sitting in the car waiting for her.

"Got lost?" He asked with a smirk, as Rosette slid into the seat beside him. "Aww shut up. Lost track of time."

She responded. "I found that file you were telling me about. Read the dedication note in the front and it sounds pretty depressing."

"Well she did die young; she wasn't that much older than you."

"What about her partner?"

"Aren't you going to read about them?"

"I still have homework to finish, so can't you just tell me now?"

"Don't know too much about it, but after she died he disappeared. Probably too heartbroken to bear it."

"A human-demon relationship?" Rosette said surprised. "Must have shocked a lot of people back then."

"It did." Yuan replied, remembering the thoughts he had at first of the odd pairing.

"If she had lived, wouldn't he have out lived her?"

"Yeah."

"Then was it so bad that she died young? Better for her to die before they got too attached to each other."

Yuan was quiet; did the Rosette of a hundred years ago sometimes think that?

"Or unless they already loved each other a lot, so then they would have wanted to make the best of the time that they had." Rosette continued when he didn't answer.

He smiled; no she didn't think that, over a hundred years had done nothing to change her views.

"Such a tragic love." She murmured.

"Do you know who wrote the file?" He asked.

"Ya, the last Head Nun, Azamaria Hendrick."

"Thought so."

"Why?" Rosette inquired.

"Just a feeling." Yuan said.

"Were back, now you better get a start on your homework, it's already seven."

"Joshua has probably already made dinner, so I'll grab some and go to my room."

And the two of them got out of the car and made their way into the thirty- story building that they lived in.

* * *

The next morning was chaos in the (A/N: help please!! What would you call this, Christopher? Remington? Exorsist? 3 blonds? Hey never realized that all 3 were blonds, back 2 the topic! Help me!!! I'm not actually going to go back to this chapter and change it because I'm too lazy, but I'll use it in future chapters and you get credit if you come up with a good name too!! Well for now, I'll call it the umm...) household of Yuan, Rosette and Joshua.  
  
Rosette, who had woken up late as usual, was now flying around the apartment in her school uniform packing her bag and making her lunch. Joshua was doing the same thing, but at a much slower pace and Yuan was sipping his coffee at the table.

"Where's my math book!" Rosette cried, "Wait found it!"

"Stupid that's not yours!" Joshua said, pulling the text out of her hands, "That's mine!"

"Ahhh! Then where's mine! Here it is! Oh wait that's English."

"Found it for you." Joshua said.

"Thanks! Hey Yuan can't we just skip school today?"

"No." Came his firm reply as he took another sip of his coffee.

"Aww, why not?" Rosette whined, "You never let us-"

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Yuan asked.

"No but-" Rosette was cut short again as a piece of toast was found sticking out of her mouth.

Three feet away Yuan's hand was still outstretched from when he threw it.

"Everyone ready to go? Good." And he walked out the door without a reply from either of the siblings.

Rosette and Joshua looked at each other with half opened bags (Rosette) and half opened mouths (Joshua).

"YUAN!!! WAIT!!!" Both siblings called after their ride to school and ran out the door after him. And thus started another day in the ordinary lives of Rosette, Yuan and Joshua.

* * *

Rosette glared at Joshua, who was weaving in and out of the crowd of people, on his skateboard. Normally she would have been beside him on her rollerblades, but she accidentally dropped her schoolbag on it, which caused one of the wheels or the overly used rollers blades to fall off. If that wasn't a prime example of the abusive amount of homework that schools gave out, then she didn't know what was.

So now here she was, jogging behind her ever-so-relax brother on his skateboard. They had left the apartment to go get dinner, it was Rosette's turned to make dinner and she was too lazy too, so she dragged Joshua out with her to go get some pizza. When he protested she asked how he would feel if she got mugged.

Joshua had promised to go slower than usual, so that she didn't have to run so hard to keep up with him. But it didn't look like he was living up to his promise, he was purposely picking up speed and Rosette could swear that it was just to annoy her. And that, along with the little smirk that her had on his face, was really getting to her.

Rosette sighed inwardly with relif, when Joshua slowed down and stopped outside a little pizza parlor called Antonio's Pizza (2). She slowed her pace down as she neared him and stopped right in front of him, and placed her hands on her knees, panting. Lifting her head up a little bit, she glared at her younger brother.

"Oh sorry Rosette, did I go a bit too fast for you?" Joshua asked, looking at Rosette with innocent eyes. He had a red baseball cap on backwards on his head; she knew that it was more for look than for protection against the December chilly air. He was also wearing a black jacket, with the zipper half done up so that one could see the blue sweater that he had on underneath, and black jeans.

"No, your speed was just fine Joshua, but you're going have go slower on the way back, because I'm going to be holding the food!" Rosette replied. The first part of her sentence obviously forced. She straightened her unzipped blue jacket and the army-colored sweater underneath her jacket. Brushing off her blue jeans she stepped forward and zipped up the rest of Joshua's jacket.

"Wouldn't want you getting sick again!" She teased as she slipped into the small pizza parlor.

"Hey!" Joshua exclaimed as he followed Rosette in, "Then how come your jacket isn't done up?"  
  
Twenty minutes later, the two siblings found themselves out on the street once again. A smug looking Rosette walked, with her hands in her jacket pockets, with a grumbling, Joshua beside her, carrying the pizza.

"How did I get stuck with the pizza?" Joshua asked.

"You wanted the anchovies, so you carry it." Rosette replied.

"Ya., but when I'm carrying it, then I can't go as fast on my skateboard...." Joshua trailed off as realization dawned on him, "You little rat!"

Rosette held her hands up defensively, "Hey, you fell for it." Joshua grumbled and turned away, concentrated on not hitting anyone in the busy streets if New York. They walked (in Rosette's case) or skateboarded (in Joshua's case) in silence till an ear piercing scream filled the air.

"What the hell was that?" Rosette asked, as they both took off in a run.

"No clue, but it seems to be coming from the bank. Shit, Rosette we can't help out in a bank robbery." Joshua replied, stuffing the pizza underneath his arm, not caring how it ended up.

"We have to try, Joshua." Looking at his reluctant face, she tried again. "Well at least let's go take a look; we don't have to do anything, just look."

Joshua regarded his sister carefully, and nodded reluctantly.

They had a hard time of pushing through the crowd, most people were trying to get away from the bank, not get to it like Rosette and Joshua. When they were finally out of most of the crowd what they saw made them stop dead in their tracks.

Demons, at least six of them, were inside the bank. They weren't that powerful, just a couple of low level legions, but they had nothing to fight them with.

"Holy crap!" Rosette whispered as she and Joshua ducked behind an abandoned taxi. Searching her pockets she only came up with a small vial of holy water. "We are we going to do?"

"How should I know?" Joshua whispered back. "We have to do something!"

"I know!" Rosette glanced over at the bank; the doors were smashed in, leaving trials of glass on the sidewalk and inside the bank. Someone lay, hopefully unconscious, on the sidewalk.

Form what she could see the demons were holding, hopefully what was everyone, in the bank as hostages and seemed to be threatening the bank teller. The woman that was being threatened was shaking with visible fear, as her hands fumbled with what Rosette guessed to be keys. One demon, a particularly ugly one with only one horn, a huge muscled body and slightly tattered wings grabbed a young girl out of the group of hostages, who started screaming shrilly out of the top of her lungs.

Rosette couldn't wait any longer. She didn't have a plan, but she didn't have anymore time. Running out from behind the car, she ignored Joshua's protests as she threw the vial of holy water at the demon. The demon let go of the girl, leaving her to drop to the ground, as the vial broke on its horn and splashed in its eyes. Ignoring the demon's howls of pain as its eyes were being burned, Rosette jumped for the girl before she hit the ground and slid on her back, with the girl clutched between her arms, until she was stopped by a wall.

A man jumped out from the crowd and kicked the demon in the head, breaking its neck in one swift blow, leaving the body to crumple to the ground. He stood a couple feet in front of Rosette as another demon launched itself at them. Rosette rolled to the side and let the still screaming girl run to her mother, as the demon slammed the man into the wall beside her. She stood up and backed away looking for something that she could fight with the help the man, but was delayed as another demon grabbed her by the neck with one hand and hauled her up.

She lashed out with her legs, hoping to kick the demon, but failed when he held her out of her leg span. Not for the first time Rosette cursed the fates that had made her short. The demon's grip on her neck loosened for a second, when Joshua slammed his skateboard behind the demon's knee, breaking his skateboard in half.

"Rosette!" He called out, when she let out a strangled cry as the grip on her neck was tightened once again. The bank was bathed in a flash of red light and another demon rammed into the one holding Rosette. Rosette fell to the ground when the hold on her neck was gone and she lay gasping for the breath that was squeezed from her. Glancing up she saw a demon quickly disposing of all the other demons, his long purple braid swinging to one side as he slashed at another opponent who at come up behind him, his red eyes glinting.

Wait...Long purple braided hair, crimson eyes, Rosette's eyes widened in recognition.

"You're the guy from my dream!" She shouted.

Chrno gave a small gasp, he knew that voice. Turning he looked at her, eyes filling with longing and recognition, "Rosette!"

* * *

-End Ch.2-  
  
(1) I don't really know if that was were it really was, I'm just assuming.  
  
(2) I have no clue whether or not that is actually a real place.

My first cliffhanger. Aren't I evil? I did put the reunion in, just as I promised. I just didn't tell you that there would only be a few sentences or it!

The plot of the story, where they have to save the world and yatta, yatta, shall be introduced in a chapter or two. I want to get some stuff down first. It's amazing where one can get the inspiration of what to write. The idea for this chapter came from when I was giving my dog a bath. So while I was getting sprayed with soapy water, I was wondering, what my lovely little reviewers would like and bam! My idea came to me.

I know that I kind of made Joshua seem a bit selfish and cowardly, but he shall be redemmed in future chapters. And he did scarifice his beloved skatboard for his sister right?  
  
Well now I need a little bit of help, you see I kind of know where the story is going, and I have some of the scenes needed, but I need more ideas. Could you guys please help me? Write a review, send me an e-mail (ftefinderhotmail.com) something, that can give me some inspiration. Your own ideas are welcomed and I will give you credit if I use even part of your idea. It doesn't have to be for the next chapter, it can be for any of the upcoming chapters.  
  
I also need a name to call the household of or the household. I mentioned it earlier in this chapter. Could you guys also please help me for that?  
  
Your help and reviews are much appreciated and encouraged.

* * *

Preview of next chapter  
  
_"Who the hell was that?" Rosette screaming at Yuan the next morning. "Sure he was tall and sexy-" Rosette clamped her hand over her mouth. "I did not just say that." She said to a laughing Yuan. _


	4. Chapter 3: New Troubles

Disclaimer: You should realize by now that I don't and never will own anything that deals with Chrno Crusade. I don't even own the dvd! TT (Downloaded them)

* * *

Thank you NightElfCrawler for pointing out my mistake. I put the Chrno has a braid in his demon form. He doesn't, only in his child and adult form, so now let's all pretend that Chrno didn't have a braid in his demon form in the last chapter. Thanx you for bearing with me!  
  
I was listening to this song (Evanescence is really good =D) and I thought that this is what Chrno would be thinking of when he thinks about Rosette. Don't you guys agree? (sorry that it came out in caps, but I'm too lazy to retype it in lower case letters)  
  
YOU DON'T REMEMBER ME  
  
BUT I REMEMBER YOU  
  
I LIE AWAKE AND TRY SO HARD  
  
NOT TO THINK OF YOU  
  
BUT WHO CAN DECIDE WHAT THEY DREAM?  
  
AND DREAM I DO...  
  
I BELIEVE IN YOU  
  
I'LL GIVE UP EVERYTHING JUST TO FIND YOU  
  
I HAVE TO BE WITH YOU TO LIVE TO BREATHE  
  
YOU'RE TAKING OVER ME  
  
HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ALL I KNOW  
  
AND ALL WE HAD?  
  
YOU SAW ME MOURNING MY LOVE FOR YOU  
  
AND TOUCHED MY HAND  
  
I KNEW YOU LOVED ME THEN  
  
I BELIEVE IN YOU  
  
I'LL GIVE UP EVERYTHING JUST TO FIND YOU  
  
I HAVE TO BE WITH YOU TO LIVE TO BREATHE  
  
YOU'RE TAKING OVER ME  
  
I LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND SEE YOUR FACE  
  
IF I LOOK DEEP ENOUGH  
  
SO MANY THINGS INSIDE THAT ARE  
  
JUST LIKE YOU ARE TAKING OVER ME  
  
Taking Over Me 

By: Evanescence

* * *

**NightElfCrawler:** Yay! You're my first reviewer again! (waves a banner) =D Oh thanx for pointing out my mistake! I watched the anime again and realized that Chrno has shorter hair in his demon form than in his adult and child form, so my bad. I don't think that I'll go that crazy with the household name. I'll just search my brain for a name (if I can find it, its summer so it's gone on vacation) I have part of the plot in place, so I'm not completely hopeless =D, but I'm more of a spur of the moment person. Hehe.  
  
**jainga:** aww thanx you. That was nice, glad I don't put the manga nad anime to shame. Don't worry the ending wotn be as depressing, I couldn't stand them (they made me cry TT) so that's why I wrote this!  
  
**just a reader:** thanx for the idea. I'll be using some of it. Thought I won't get in Chrno choosing between Rosette and Magdelena (thought Rosette would win. Yay!) that'll be digging my own grave, I'm not that good of a writed to pull that off! But nightelfcrawler did. Glad that you liked his entrance it was hard writing that. =D  
  
**evilanimeblond22:** aww thanx. Glad that you liked my chapter.  
  
**ruby-dream:** Yea, Rosette should buy Joshua a new skateboard. She gonna be spending lots of money! Don't worry she'll be getting all her memories back; it wouldn't be the same without it! But I'm not saying when...  
  
**Geonitz:** You're a genius!! Thanx for the idea! I'm defiantly going to be using it!  
  
**Rosette Christopher:** thanx for reviewing agian, and here's more for you!  
  
**YumeTakato:** Here's your update!  
  
**irdri:** Hehe thanxs. Don't worry I will.  
  
**jazzywolf:** Thanx you very much. I'm glad that you liked it.

* * *

The year is 2044, over a hundred years since her death. With an evil threatening to reoccur for the third time, the world may have no choice but to call forth her power, and reunite her with what killed her, in hopes that she may bring about the salvation of the world. Chrno x Rosette, Joshua x Az

* * *

She was there. She was right there in front of him. Blond hair askew, sapphire eyes filled with questions.  
  
He had been in the bank when the demons had barged in and demanded the teller to giver the keys to all the safety deposit boxes. He couldn't do anything. A man had already tried to stop them and he and another person had ended up being killed. If he could transform into his true form, then he could beat them, no problem. Except there wasn't enough room, people were pressed up on all sides of him, if he transformed now then people would be hurt, not that they weren't already.  
  
When the teller had fumbled with the keys, one of the demons had picked up a little girl, threatening that he would kill her if she didn't hurry up. Chrno clenched his fists, he had to do something! And when the demon had been burned with holy water and the girl rescued by another person he had rushed out and killed the low level legion easily. The he had blocked all the attacks from the other demons that tried to get to the two girls behind him, but he couldn't do much in his human form.  
  
He had finally transformed when he heard a boy cry out and killed the demon that was attacking him and the girl from earlier. He still hadn't realized who she was, but when she called put at him, it struck a painful cord inside him. He turned to look at her; he couldn't help but utter her name. How could she be here?  
  
She was dead.  
  
Killed over a hundred years ago.  
  
By him.  
  
Time hadn't made the wound any less painful. And it took all he had to wretch his eyes away from her and block an attack from another demon. Twisting, he brought his tail up and ran the other demon through. There was one more demon left, with its long dirty tangled hair streaming past its head and all four gangly limbs touching the ground. It took one look at Chrno and ran for the entrance, headless of the chaotic mess around it. But it was stopped short when a gun was pointed at its ugly head.  
  
"I wouldn't be doing that if I were you." A clam Yuan said.  
  
"Yuan!" Both Rosette and Joshua shouted.  
  
It took Chrno a couple seconds to remember who the man was in front of the demon. "Remington." He said as he remembered the blond man.  
  
Yuan's eyes flicked up and met Chrno's a series of emotions flashing through them. Yuan then nodded his head at the demon and Chrno got the message. He moved so that he was now behind the demon, trapping it in between the two of them.  
  
"Why were you here?" Yuan asked in an ice cold voice.  
  
The demon just hissed at them.  
  
"Don't pretend that you can't speak their language," Chrno said in a low voice, "Answer truthfully and we let you live."  
  
The demon hissed again.  
  
"Why were you here?" Yuan asked once more.  
  
"To retrieve an object." The demon said slowly.  
  
"What?" Chrno demanded.  
  
"It was not made known to me." The demon replied.  
  
Chrno listened intently and picked up accelerated heart beat of the demon in front of them.  
  
"You're lying." He said flatly nodding to Yuan to apply more pressure to the gun pressed to the demon's forehead. "One more chance, what did you come for?"  
  
The demon began to panic. "We were supposed to retrieve an object that looked like an old pocket watch."  
  
Chrno felt his blood run cold. "Who sent you?" He growled.  
  
"I don't know." The demon stammered. "We were offered a large sum of money if we retrieved the watch.  
  
Chrno glanced up at Yuan. "He's telling the truth. Let him go." And Chrno turned his back and stalked away into the bank.  
  
Yuan lowered the gun and stepped aside, letting the demon pass by him. "If I see you again, you're dead." He told the demon as it scurried away.  
  
He walked over to where Rosette and Joshua were, and motioned for them to get up. Chrno then chose to appear a couple feet behind him.  
  
"We have to talk." Yuan said.  
  
"I know." Chrno sighed, his gaze resting on the siblings, but more on Rosette than Joshua.  
  
Rosette opened her mouth to voice a question but was cut off by Yuan.  
  
"I'll fill you two in later." He promised.  
  
Rosette surprisingly said nothing and just stared at Chrno, who had by now returned to his human adult form, with questions in her eyes. Joshua knew better than to second guess Yuan's and his sister's action followed Rosette's action.  
  
"We can go back to my place." Chrno said, running a hand through his hair, and walked out, Yuan following him.  
  
Rosette stared after the two of them. The demon had looked surprisingly familiar, she had recognized him from her dreams, but she had also felt a sense of déjà vu. Something was bugging her in the back of her mind. She felt that she should know this demon, but she couldn't for the life of her remember who he was.

* * *

Later the two men found themselves at Chrno's finely furbished apartment.  
  
"Beer?" He offered Yuan.  
  
The other man accepted as Chrno sat across from him at the table.  
  
"Well this time we had a fairly nice reunion." Yuan said, his voiced laced with humor.  
  
"No missing Joshua. No frozen orphanage. No contract..." Chrno stopped there. "Well Remington, we seemed to have started off on a friendlier foot this time."  
  
"Oh so true." Yuan said. "So what have you been up to all these years?"  
  
"Probably the same that you've been doing." Chrno replied.  
  
"A demon exorcist. Well, I wouldn't have really expected you to do anything else. You must be pretty successful, considering our surroundings."  
  
"The first couple decades I was, but I haven't really done anything in the past couple years, except for a bit of traveling." He smiled ruefully, "They wanted to do that too, you know, Rosette and Joshua."  
  
"I remember." Yuan said quietly.  
  
"Was it really her?" Chrno asked softly, voice contracted with emotion.  
  
"Ah." Yuan replied.  
  
"Reincarnation?" asked Chrno as he took a sip of his beer, his eyes both unsure and hopeful. "How can you be so sure?"  
  
"I had my doubts at first too, but after seeing too many similarities between their counterparts over 100 years ago and now." Yuan calmly stated.  
  
"But why would she come back now? The world is full of danger where she could easily get hurt-" Chrno started.  
  
"Which is perhaps why she has come back, with Joshua too. The world might need her again." Yuan interrupted. "I wouldn't be surprised if some of the other apostles turned up too. But I thought that you would be happy to see her again. It must have been hell living without her all these years. You obviously haven't lost any of your love for her."  
  
Chrno's face showed raw, painful emotion that proved Yuan correct for a second before his face closed up once again.  
  
"It has been." He muttered, more to himself than to Yuan, he took a long swipe of his beer. "I keep seeing reminders of her. A pink dress she once wore, a gun she would have loved, a shade of blue so close to the color of her eyes." His voice chocked up slightly on this, showing Yuan just a little bit of what he must have been going through. "But when I saw her, she didn't even recognize me. All she knew me as, was the man from her dreams."  
  
"You would have rather been the man of her dreams." Yuan said as he cracked a small smile.  
  
"That I would." Chrno said quietly as he finished his beer and started on a second one.  
  
A silence settled between them.  
  
"Her heart recognizes you." Yuan said, looking the demon in the eyes. A glimmer of hope was there, and Yuan felt compelled to turn it into more than a spark, for both Chrno and Rosette's sake. "She has told me that she has been reaching out for this other person-"  
  
"Me" Stated Chrno, with a slight note of challenge in his voice.  
  
"Yes you. But she does not know it. There is a possibility that if she stays around you long enough she might begin to remember, Joshua too. Though I do not know if that would be such a good idea, it took him five years for his mind to revert out of a twelve-year-old's and if he remembers it might harm him." Yuan finished.  
  
"We can't stop memories, but we can help him bear them." Chrno said.  
  
"Why were you at the bank?" Yuan asked.  
  
Chrno smiled, "For the same reason that the other demons were." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the watch and set it on the table.  
  
"Who do you think sent them?" Yuan asked.  
  
"Aion, it couldn't be anyone else."  
  
"Will he come after you to get the watch?"  
  
"No, he probably just wanted it to... prevent some difficult situations in the future."  
  
Yuan's eyebrows furrowed in the middle of his forehead. "Explian."  
  
"Aion lost his horns, and he still hasn't found them. So he probably wanted the watch for a future source of power. But it wouldn't be that big of a deal for him, he managed so far without his horns and if I have it, he knows that I won't use it."  
  
"Makes sense." Yuan murmured.  
  
"What doesn't is why he is becoming so active all of a sudden." Chrno said thoughtfully.  
  
Yuan gave him a small smile. "I think that I might know why."  
  
Chrno gave him a questioning gaze.  
  
"I did some research a couple days ago to find out your whereabouts and found some very interesting information. It seems that there was a fourth Fatima's prophecy that no one knew about."  
  
"How could that be?" Chrno asked.  
  
"Well, unlike the first three, that were all given at the same time. The fourth one was given about thirty years after the original three. The third prophecy was about another great war, World War Two. The fourth one, from what I could gather, was about yet another great war, but this time it would be one that would not be fought between countries, but instead by humans and demons."  
  
"A third great war. Are we supposed to be fighting this one too?"  
  
"Who knows? It didn't say when it would happen, but my guess is that if Aion is becoming active again, its probably to bring this about."  
  
"Then were in for a hell of a lot of trouble." Chrno stated.  
  
"True, that's why I have a proposition for you." Yuan said, "I figure that if Aion is responsible for the little heist today then he probably already knows about Rosette and Joshua. You guys did cause a lot of trouble for him in the past, so he might be thinking of causing trouble for them. Even if he doesn't, we still have an obligation, because of our pasts, to at least try and stop him this time."  
  
"So you want me to work with you." Chrno said, a hint of a smile was playing around his mouth, they both knew what the man was hinting at. Getting to know Rosette again.  
  
"To sum it all up."  
  
"Deal." There was no way Chrno was going to pass up this chance to be near Rosette.  
  
And at that the two men shook hands.

* * *

The next morning Yuan was awakened by a frustrated Rosette glaring at him from beside his bed.  
  
"Who the hell was that?" Rosette screamed at Yuan. "Sure he was tall and sexy-"Rosette clamped her hand over her mouth. "I did not just say that."  
  
Yuan started to laugh.  
  
"Rosette pipe down, you'll wake up the neighbors. He was a demon right?" Joshua asked slowly, the teen was still half asleep, having been awakening by his nosiy sister.  
  
"It's already eight, they should be up anyway." Rosette scowled. "Anyone could tell that Chrno is a demon, but how did you know him?"  
  
Yuan looked at Rosette, Surprise evident in his face. "How did you know his name?"  
  
"Didn't you say it?" A flustered Rosette asked.  
  
"Nope." Yuan said, he smiled slightly and continued on. "Chrno, is my new partner, and our new colleague."  
  
"That means we'll be seeing more of him right?" Joshua asked.  
  
"Right." Yuan said, "And you guys better get moving, school starts in half an hour!"  
  
"Damn it." Rosette mumbled as she ran to her room to get ready. She was confused, how had she known his name? Ah, too confusing, she would think about it later.

* * *

Later turned out to be in math class. Rosette let the teacher's voice drone on in the back of her head, as she sketched out lightly the demon's form, where her calculations were supposed to be. He seemed so familiar. Maybe she had fought a demon like him before? No, she would have remembered a fight like that. All the demons that she had fought were usually low level legions.  
  
"Who's that Rosette?" Her friend Elizabeth whispered.  
  
"Chrno." She replied absent mindedly before realizing what she said.  
  
"And he's....?" Elizabeth trailed off.  
  
"No one Lizze." Rosette replied.  
  
"Sureeeeeeeee." Elizabeth said, drawing out the syllables, "Does my little Rosette have a crush on a demon?"  
  
"No!" Rosette shouted.  
  
"Miss. Christopher, is there something in my teachings that you have such a strong protest to?" The teacher asked, while her classmates snickered around her.  
  
"No Ma'am." Rosette murmured, catching Elizabeth's apologetic gaze. She smiled at her to let her know that she had been forgiven. 

"Good now I would appreciate it if you would pay attention."

"Yes Ma'am."

* * *

Rosette walked in the door with Joshua trailing closely behind her. Of all the nerve that Yuan had! Making them take the bus and then walking for another twenty minutes with twenty-pound school bags to drag them down. He had just probably wanted to get out of her questioning him more in the car. Well he was going to go through hell now! 

Rosette dropped her school bag beside her shoes and then stomped over to where his office was. As she approached she could her him talking to someone on the phone.

"Well, at least you made a good impression on her. In the morning she demanded to know who the tall, strange se-"

Yuan stopped short, the words on the tip of his tongue as he stared at the fuming blonde that had just slammed his door open. "Uh-oh I'm in trouble."

The person on the other line, presumably Chrno, said something.

"Yeah she's here."

More talking from Chrno.

"Good suggestion, tha-" Yuan was unable to complete his sentence as the phone was ripped out of his hand and now held by a very angry Rosette.

She dropped the phone as she advanced on him, each step promising a lot of pain. Yuan backed up.

"What were you saying about me?" She asked very quietly, each word seething with anger.

"Rosette be reasonable, if you hurt me there are plenty of witnesses around." Yuan said calmly, a sweat drop forming on his head. He might be used to facing death by the hands of demons, but a very angry Rosette was not someone to mess with.

She took another step towards him. "Oh I don't think that Joshua will be ratting out on me."

"I don't think that he minded that you said that about him, he probably liked..." Yuan trailed off as he could literally see the steam coming out from Rosette's ears. Woops, he thought, that was probably the wrong thing to say.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" Rosette shouted, "YOU MAKE ME WALK HOME WITH A TWENTY-POUND BACKPACK, AND I COME HOME TO HERE YOU SAYING THIS?"

"Uhhh..." Yuan waved his hands in front of his face, a desperate look forming on his face.

Joshua walked over and picked up the phone that Rosette had dropped, as she continued to scream. Plugging one ear with his finger and holding the phone to his other one Josuha started to talk.

"Hello, you're the demon that we saw the other night right?" He asked. "Correct, my name is Chrno." Chrno answered.

"Hmmm, that's a nice name."

"Is Remington still alive?" Chrno asked.

"Remington? Oh Yuan, ya Rosette just chased him out of the room screaming bloody murder."

"That would explain why it has gotten quieter, I thought that maybe he was dead. Can you tell Remington that I'll drop it off later tomorrow?"

"Drop what off?"

"Oh, it's just some stuff that I don't need anymore, he seemed interested in it, so I offered it to him."

"Are you doing anything for dinner tomorrow?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"Oh, then do you want to come over for dinner? We should do something to repay you for saving Rosette the other night and it'll be a good chance to get to know you, since you'll be working with us."

Chrno hesitated in answering. Silently he weighted his possibilities. If he went to dinner he would see Rosette, however she might be mad at him for saving her the other day, he would guess that Rosette still wasn't the type that liked to play damsel in distress. But it was better then sitting at his apartment alone again.

"Sure, but are you sure that they wont mind?"

"Nope, I'm cooking so I can invite anyone I want. Come at 6:30 tomorrow. Ja!" And with that Joshua hung up. Walking outside of Yuan's office he found Rosette waving a gun around screaming.

"WHERE ARE THOSE DAMN BULLETS!?"

Yuan was no where to be seen.

"Nee, nee-san?" Joshua said carefully, "Chrno's is coming for dinner tomorrow." When he'd had finished saying those words, Joshua fled to the safety of his room.

Rosette stood in the kitchen, gun forgotten in her hand.

"WHAT!?"

* * *

-End Ch. 3- 

So what did you guys think? More of the plot comes in with a little bit of other stuff. But I dunno, it seems a bit too predicable for my liking. That's probably because I've been reading it over and over. Thanx to Geonitz for the idea about the 4th Fatima's prophecy. Just some food for thought, but what should Chrno drive? I have absolutely know clue about cars, so could you guys help me on that? Thanx!

Srry, there's no previe this time becaus I don't have any of the next chapter typed up. forgive me!  
  
Please review on your way out!


	5. Chapter 4: Dinner

* * *

Disclaimer: Believe me if I owned Chrno Crusade I wouldn't be writing this. I know that Chrno and Rosette didn't get much of a reunion in the last chapter, so hopefully this chapter will make up for some of it.

IMPORTANT

It has also come to my attention that there has been some confusion over the whole Rosette thing. In the last chapter I said that she was a rencarnationof her pervious self. That's my mistake, Rosette is the same person being reborn, but I didn't know how else to phrase it, but by saying that she is a reincarnation. Rosette has the same body and the same soul as she did in the series and manga. It's not Inuyasha where Kagome and Kikyo have the same soul and very similar bodies, but totally different personalities. Rosette is the same person she was in the manga and anime, just with her memories locked away for now. So Chrno is not falling in love again. He has never fallen out of love and is still in love with Rosette. Does that make that clearer? Sorry but I know exactly what's going on because its all in the minuscule thing that I call my brain. So I didn't think that you guys would be confused. :p Thanks for taking your time to read this!

* * *

The year is 2044, over a hundred years since her death. With an evil threatening to reoccur for the third time, the world may have no choice but to call forth her power, and reunite her with what killed her, in hopes that she may bring about the salvation of the world. Chrno x Rosette, Joshua x Az

* * *

**Arabella Silverbell:** lol. Thanx for the encouragement! ur my first reviewer!  
  
**Ruby-dream:** A lot of my friend are like your sister, they don't know why I like evanescence, but their so good! Hehe aww, thanx. Glad that u like it so much. So happy 2 know that I have happy reviewers!  
  
**Rosette Christopher:** I'm working hard on developing their characters, bit by bit, but I'm concentrating on Rosette and Chrno the most. Can't help it!! Lol. :p. Here's what happens at supper!  
  
**NightElfCrawler:** Yea Chrno and Remi, can make such good friends!! Hehe, special friendship coming up in the future! I'm glad that you liked the reunion, its kind of hard, because they didn't exactly part on the best or terms, but a history together makes it easier!  
  
**YumeTakato:** here's your update!  
  
**BelleDayNight:** Oh this one will definitely work out alright. :D  
  
**Ayumi Yoshino:** That's a good idea! Lol.  
  
**Jainga:** this chappie had more of chrno X rosette. Omg!! Can I use that idea? It can be like an extra thing. Ahahahah its sooo funny!!  
  
**Evilanimeblond22:** Hers another chapter!  
  
**Darkenekangel:** Its dudet, but that ok. Lol. I'm planning some more fluff moments, but I dunno when I'll put them in. so u'll just hav 2 wait! :P  
  
**RuByMoOn17:** hehe glad that u think that its cute.  
  
**Mystery Case:** Well their kind of the same thing. She's still Rosette, so maybe u'll be happier. Glad that you liked it!

* * *

You know how people say that your teenage years are full of uncertainty and self-questioning? Where you're never sure of yourself and really self conscious? Well it's never been that way for me. 16 approaching 17 pretty fast and I've never had the so called 'normal' teenage paranoia. I've always been very self-confident. Sure I may not have a huge group of friends, a couple close ones are fine for me, but I'm on good terms with everyone at school. And all this exorcism business does make me feel useful, so it's not like I'm weighing the world down.

It could be that the hormones that cause it has not kicked in yet, but that wouldn't make sense to why they hadn't kicked in with the others ones. No one can say that I'm a late bloomer. I have certainly bloomed in... er... the places that I have supposed to.

Maybe it's because I've never had a boyfriend before and all I've had were the weirdest crushes, there was this on guy that I liked in grade seven and he had longer hair than me. He just let it hang there, for some reason whenever I looked at it I wanted to braid it. There was this other guy that dyed his hair a dark purple, I saw the hair color and I feel in love, more with the hair that with the person though, because the guy was a total jerk. Like I said, weird crushes.

But even those never last very long, anywhere from a day to a week. Once Elizabeth asked me why I never act on them. I don't even know why I tell her my crushes, but I do and she always gives me this weird look like I'm crazy. Funny, she should be used to it by now. Well anyways I told Lizze that they're so spontaneous that I get over them pretty quick, so there's no point.

So like I've said I've never had this problem about doubting myself, who I am or anything else that makes me feel nervous and the such. Well that was before I met Chrno. Geez, I find out that the guy exists and in two days I'm going through all these questioning thingies. Every time that I look at him it's like a mini déjà vu. But from what he's seen of me he probably thinks that I'm some sort of freak. And the first time he saw me, I was in need of a rescue. Miss-I'm-so- not-a-damsel-in-distress-and-never-will-be had to be rescued. What a way to make a good first impression. It's good if you want to throw yourself at him and be all like you're my hero kind of thing, actually that doesn't sound too bad...

What am I thinking? I am not that kind of girl. Now he probably thinks that I'm some pansy that needs to be watched whenever she goes out, so that she doesn't get into trouble. God my life is screwed up.

See right there! Teenage questioning or whatever the hell you call it. And it's all over a guy, no wait a demon too! I am really messed up.

* * *

It was 6 o'clock and Joshua was standing in the kitchen mixing around the stir-fry in the steaming pan in front of him. Rosette was inside her room doing her history essay. Growling with exasperation she leaned over in her chair and hooked her legs around the seat, so that her upper body was hanging in the air.

"Mou, stupid history." She grumbled, closed her eyes and rubbed her temples

. She had all of two words on her page. And those two words just happened to be in the upper right hand corner of the paper, stating Rosette Christopher. The sudden ringing of the doorbell sent Rosette out of her revere and caused her to loose her grip on the chair, making her crash down in a pile of pens, paper and limbs.

"Oi Rosette! Can you get that?" Joshua called from the kitchen.

"Why can't you?" She called back.

"I'm cooking!"

"Fine, fine." Rosette mumbled as she pushed everything off her and straighten her purple sweater and black pants. "Who would be coming here today anyways?" She grumbled as she made her way to the door.

Undoing the locks and swigging the door open she was greeted by the site of Chrno holding two boxes, one piled on top of the other.

"Hi Rosette." He greeted her cheerfully.

Rosette took one look at Chrno and closed the door on him.

"Joshua!" She screamed, "What's Chrno doing at our door?"

"Did you let him in?" Joshua called back.

"Nope."

"You retard I invited him over for dinner, I did tell you, you know."

"Opps forgot." Rosette said and she swung the door open again, revealing a very confused Chrno.

"Sorry bout that." Rosette apologized, a light pink hue decorated her cheeks.

"That's ok." Chrno said smiling; Rosette antics were still as crazy and funny as ever.

"She forgot that you were coming." Yuan said as he finally made an appearance.

"So she closes the door on me?" Chrno asked with a lopsided grin.

"Hey. Hey! Don't go talking about me like I'm not here." Rosette protested.

"Sorry." Chrno said, shifting the two boxes he had ever so slightly.

"Ahh, good you brought them." Yuan said.

"Brought what?" Rosette asked.

"Some stuff that I don't need." Chrno answered.

"Rosette could you grab one?" Yuan asked, cutting of any more of the young blonde's questions.

"Sure." Rosette walked over to Chrno and grabbed the top box, its sudden weight almost pulling her down. "Mou, these things way a ton! How can you carry two of them?"

"Practice." Chrno answered, then turning to Yuan he asked, "Where to do want them."

"In my office." Yuan answered. "And that would be...?" Chrno trailed off.

"Rosette will show you." Yuan replied.

Rosette didn't even bother to reply, but slowly made her way over to his office, the heavy box weighing her down. She kicked the door open and set the box down in the middle of the room.

"Now to see what you have in these things." Rosette said as she pulled the lid off the box that she had been formerly carrying. The lid came off the revel a series of old guns and inscripted knifes.

"Wow." Rosette said in pure awe.

She ran her finger along the sliver barrel of one gun, it was pretty old fashion, but something had drawn her attention to it. She picked it up and felt its weight in her hand. She made a face; it was too heavy to be easily carried around.

"Try this one instead." Chrno said, tossing her a gun that looked very similar to the one she was currently holding.

Rosette caught the gun and looked down the barrel. Then flipping it over in her hand she pointed it at Chrno. "Bam." She said quietly ad she pulled the trigger. "Where do you get all this stuff?" She asked.

"It's been so long that I've forgotten, mostly picked up stuff here and there. They've been lying around for such a long time that I forgot about them." Chrno said, "I only remembered them when Remington asked if I had any stuff that he could use. I thought that a private exorcism company would have plenty of supplies, I know that he isn't short on money."

He looked up at Rosette questionably and a sly smile came over his face when her face turned red. "Would you have anything to do with the shortage of supplies?' he asked innocently.

Rosette scowled, "Well it's not all my fault, and sometimes the demons destroy the weapons with them when they die or run away. I don't do that much damage."

"Once she threw a box of scareds out the window." Joshua said suddenly, he had been coming to tell them that dinner was ready when he had heard them talking and couldn't help but, but in.

Rosette turned to glare at her brother. "That was an accident! I thought that the box was empty."

"Why were you throwing it?" Chrno asked he sort of had an idea; a hundred and sixteen Rosette-free-years didn't make him forget her explosive temper.

"She was aiming for me and missed." Joshua answered.

"I was unprepared for the weight." Rosette protested.

Chrno sighed and flashed the siblings a bright smile. Rosette's heart skipped at beat and she quickly smiled back at the demon. She had no reason to be nervous, what was wrong with her?

"Dinner's ready." Joshua finally announced, after having remembered what he had come to find the two for.

Rosette glad for an escape ran to the kitchen, with Chrno and Joshua, following slower, behind.

* * *

Dinner went on pretty uneventfully, with mostly small talk between Chrno and Yuan. They were discussing which weapons were most effective to use against a high level demon, a conversation that Rosette would have normally jumped into. That what was Yuan obviously expected since he started the conversation, but Rosette had another thing on her mind.

"Nee, Chrno?" Rosette asked.

"Hmm?" Chrno's crimson eyes flicked from Yuan to her, not minding the interruption.

"You don't have a last name right?"

"No I don't." Chrno answered. "Why?" Rosette asked.

"Well, in Pandamonia demons were usually referred to by titles."

"What were you called?"

"Umm, I don't remember." Chrno said, face sheepish.

"When I left Pandemonia, I was known as Chrno the Sinner."

"So you don't have a last name." Rosette stated, as if making sure of it.

"Nope, never have, never will."

"Then what about your kids? They aren't going to have last names?" Rosette asked, face thoughtful.

Joshua stared at her, mouth half opened and still full of food. Yuan eyed Rosette closely and then picked up his napkin to cover his laughing expression when he saw Chrno. Chrno stared at Rosette with a mix of emotions, mouth half opened, but unlike Joshua was empty of food. He quickly closed it and replied to Rosette who was obviously expecting an answer.

"Uh, that was unexpected. Well it depends."

"On what?"

"If the mother is human or demon." Chrno said, getting more and more uncomfortable with the current subject, especially since it was Rosette who was discussing it with him.

"What's the difference?" Rosette asked, oblivious to Chrno's discomfort.

"Umm, well if the mother is a demon, then there will be no last name. If the mother is a human, then the child will take her last name."

"So do think that your child will have a last name?"

"Uh..." Chrno stared at Rosette, not sure of what to answer, "Probably...?" He said carefully.

"Why do you think that?" Rosette asked. She wanted to know the difference between human woman and demon women.

Yuan coughed. "Rosette don't you think that, that question is a bit personal?" He asked. He had decided to step in. As much fun as it was to see Chrno in obvious discomfort, Rosette had no idea how close she was to causing very painful memories for the demon.

Chrno looked at Yuan, he could just say nothing and let Yuan give him an easy way out, but this was Rosette and Chrno felt compelled to give her an answer. "I fell in love with a human before."

Both Rosette and Yuan had looks of surprise on their faces, but for different reasons. Yuan was surprised because he shared such personal information about himself, especially to the girl he fell in love with and Rosette was because of the odd pairing.

"What happened?" Rosette asked, she figured since Chrno had answered when he could have avoided the question, she shouldn't bother dancing around the subject.

"She died." Chrno answered, raw grief showed in his eyes for a second before he closed it up and only traces of sorrow were left.

Rosette was taken back for a second. He still loved her. For some reason this made her disappointed, sad even, and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why. She had known the guy for less than a week and was sad that he was in love with another woman. Something had to be wrong with her.

"It's like that file that you told me to look up." Rosette remembered, the majority of her statement was directed at Yuan. "I haven't read it yet, but it's like same scenario. I should read it later tonight."

Chrno gave Yuan a sharp glance; his eyebrows raised over his question filled eyes.

"Actually, could you give me the file?" Yuan asked, he had told her about the file before she had met Chrno, now with him here, she might think it suspicious that she and the demon had many similar qualities to the 'different' people in the file. "I wanted to look something over, you can read it another time." He finished.

Rosette puffed out her cheeks, she had gone through so much trouble to get the file and now he was taking it away before she had even got a chance to read it. Life was so unfair.

Not even bothering to respond to Yuan she dug into her spaghetti, and slurped it up, spraying the person in front of her with meat sauce. The unfortunate victim just happened to be Yuan, which suited Rosette just fine. And so went on the rest of the night.

-End Ch. 4-

* * *

So what do you guys think? This is more of a filler chapter. I'm not too happy with it, some of the parts were forced. xx In the next chapter the plot advances! Introducing or reintroducing another character! Any guesses who? And what would you guys think of a matchmaker Rosette? Hehe.

Oh check out ringhearty's kag/sess fanfic, its not out yet, but it should be soon so go and check it out!

Please review on your way out!


	6. Bonus: An Embarassing Confession

Disclaimer: "..." You think that people would get the idea by now.

* * *

Sorry for the long wait! And I feel really bad now because this isn't really a real chapter, more of a bonus chapter... But hopefully I'll have the next chapter out soon, I have some of it in the works and if you are interested in reading it e-mail me at

* * *

For those of you who are not familiar with going to confession and all the confessional box is like closet were people kneel down on a bench before them and talk to the priest who is on the other side of a small screen in the wall of the confessional box. So both people can't see each other. I'm a Roman Catholic so there is usually a bunch of prayers that you have to say before you say your sins, but I won't go through all the prayers for several reasons, the biggest being that I would feel like I was committing blasphemy. That might sound silly, but this how I feel.

This idea is Jainga's, who so kindly let me use it. I can only hope that have done it justice.

* * *

The year is 2044, over a hundred years since her death. With an evil threatening to reoccur for the third time, the world may have no choice but to call forth her power, and reunite her with what killed her, in hopes that she may bring about the salvation of the world. Chrno x Rosette, Joshua x Az

* * *

**NightElfCrawler:** Hope that you think that this chapter is cute too, and thanx for being my first reviewer for the last chapter!

**Arabella Silverbell:** You should fell honored. Lol.

**YumeTakato:** Sorry that my update wasn't all that fast!

**Jainga:** This is where your idea comes into play. :p

**RuByMoOn17:** Ya me too, doesn't he look cute?

**Ruby-dream:** I know that its frustrating, but bear with me, cause it'll play a vital part in the plot. I think.. lol.

**Evilanimeblond22:** srry for the long wait! She'll notice umm, in a while?

**Tinkerbell:** Aww thanx, your review makes me feel honored.

**Cauldron: **Thanx, the last name thing was pretty hard too think up, glad that someone like it. Lol.

**Jazzywolf:** I'm glad that you do!

**Kai: **Aww, thank you so much! Your review was so nice!

**FanfictionVisitor:** Glad that there's no OCC's yet, I hate it when that happens. Lol.

**Invisiblegurl: **Ya the ending had me sobbing!

**Mystic Serenade:** That's so kool how you reviewd all my chapters! I kinda made a mistake with the whole scareds and sacreds things, next time I use them, I'll correct them! Lol. I got the mange from a comic book store. (its in English) but only volume one is out and two is supposed 2 be coming out this month.. ya I meant the cursed sword chronicles, do you read them to?

**Seika:** thank you for your review! I really appreciated it!

**Z98:** Thank you so much for the suggestion, I wanna become the best writer that I can!

* * *

Rosette opened her eyes and stared hard at the white ceiling above her, she had just had the weirdest dream. She turned over on her side, her eyes tracing the imaginary bumps on the pale blue walls while her mind tried to grasp the quickly fading dream...

Rosette sat in the dark confessional, fiddling with her militia uniform. Her nervous glance darting from the screen in front her to the heavy curtain of fabric that blocked her out from the outside world. It was almost Christmas and everyone in the order was required to go to confession. With the exception of Chrno, being that he was a demon and that in itself was self-explanatory.

She glowered at the screen in front of her as it turned to the handsome face of her demon partner. Damn him for getting out of confession. Damn it! She wasn;t supposed to swear in a church, oh da- Rosette quickly shut down that train of thought.

There were plenty of things that Rosette could confess as her sins. That she was sorry for hitting Chrno (countless times), screaming at him (even more times than she hit him), threatening him, the list could go on an on. She better just call it 'all the bad things that she had done to Chrno'.

And well there was something she didn't know if it would be considered a sin or not...

The confessional door slid open and a familiar voice could be heard through the screen.

"Good afternoon Sister." Remington said.

Rosette paled. Now she was even more unsure, and that was pretty rare! She could handle saying it to a minister, who she hardly saw and could easily avoid. After all she had lots of practice avoiding an angry Sister Kate on numerous occasions. But she didn't feel so comfortable confessions her sins to Remington. Especially the one that she wasn't too sure of...

"Good afternoon Father." Rosette finally replied. "It has been six months since my last confession and these are my sins: 'All the bad things that I have done to Chrno.' All the buildings that I have destroyed even thought it's not completely my fault! Things just always turn out that way-"

"It's ok Rosette." Remington interrupted.

"Right." She mumbled, "Now where was I?" She faltered slightly as she realized what she was going to say next and quickly considered the option of letting it slide off her mind... But then it would make her feel guilty and then she would have to go back to confessions a second time in less than a week. That would make her look really bad! She might not be in control of her temper at all times, but she wasn't some kind of sinner! (A/N NO pun implied in reference to Chrno.)

"Umm I don't know if this could be considered a sin or not..." She trailed off.

"If you tell me, I can tell you." Remington replied slightly curious.

"Ah, well you see that's kind of the problem." Rosette said, pressing her fingertips together nervously. "Would, uh, these thoughts be bad?"

"What kind of thoughts?"

"Umm, about..." She paused there, this was her last chance to get out of it. Bu then thinking of her reputation she decided to take the plunge.

"Chrno?" Rosette was glad that he could not see that heavy blush that stained her cheeks.

"You think about Chrno all the time, I don't see how thinking about him could be considered a sin." Remington said, his voice dismissed the issue immediately.

Rosette hesitated in telling him more, then deciding not to she was about the thank him, but was cut off by his words.

"Unless they are thoughts of a different sort?" Remington said, he was trying hard to keep the mischievous smile he wore off his voice, his indifference to the subject had slowly disappeared when he considered the possibility of her thoughts.

"Umm, well yea..."

"What would you call them?"

"Ummm." Rosette tugged at the collar of her dress nervously, she quickly ran over a list of words and decided on the most innocent and sophisticated word that she could think of. "Impure?"

Ok so maybe that wasn't the best word to try and save face with.

Remington quickly turned his snort of laughter into a cough.

"Considering that they are coming from you, I wouldn't." Remington said, when had finally gotten himself under control. "You are forgiven now go in peace."

"Thank you Father." Rosette said quickly, she wanted to be out of that box as soon as possible, and away from the embarrassment that she has just caused herself.

She stood up and quickly shook her skirts out from where they had been caught in her legs.

"Oh and Rosette." At the sound of Remington's voice she froze. "Maybe you should talk to Sister Kate about different position's around the order."

"Different?" Rosette asked, confusion evident in her voice, why would she switch jobs?

Remington carefully considered his next words, he meant for the girl to be an exorcist while not becoming a full-fledged nun. So that she could have her options opened for other things... But he didn't want to scare her off, that would cause a certain demon more trouble in the future.

"Never mind." He finally said, "It's nothing that you need to worry about."

Still confused but deciding to dismiss it, Rosette left the confessional box and quickly exited the church. Sitting on the grass outside was her purple haired companion

"Hi Rosette!" he cheerfully greeted her. Chrno had walked Rosette to the Church and waited for her too come back out. Her confession had taken longer that her would have thought. Did she really have that many sins?

"Hi Chrno." Rosette replied, she hoped that the blush that had cursed her in the Church had not followed her out here. But her hopes were dashed at her companion's next question.

"Rosette, are you getting claustrophobic? You're face is all red."

* * *

What do you think? I wanted to get something out for you guys. Hope that you liked it! I'm really sorry that I didn't get the 'new' character out this chapter, I'll just have to leave you guessing! :D

Please review on your way out!


	7. Chapter 5: New Girl

Disclaimer: "..." You think that people would get the idea by now.

I'm really glad that you guys liked the last chapter, I was afraid that someone would be mad because it wasn't a real chapter. So thanx again to jainga for the idea! And I forgot one thing about the last chapter. It was supposed 2 be back before Rosette died the first time. Hehehe, kinda forgot that lil detail. Lol.

This chapter is shorter than the rest, and I'm really sorry. School work has just been pounding on me (I know only a week in, but I go to a private school and there's so much already!!) I had this types up and I kept staring at it and thinking what else could I write? So I decided that instead of making you guys wait any longer, I might as well post it. So here it is!

Oh yea and Z98 ahs just informed that I've been spelling Yuan wrong, it's supposed to be Ewan. So thanx so much! Now I wont be typing the worng name like an idiot! Lol. So fi you're confused in the change in spelling, that's why!

* * *

The year is 2044, over a hundred years since her death. With an evil threatening to reoccur for the third time, the world may have no choice but to call forth her power, and reunite her with what killed her, in hopes that she may bring about the salvation of the world. Chrno x Rosette, Joshua x Az

* * *

**NightElfCrawler:** You're my first reviewer again! (How many chapters is that?) Glad that you thought that it was cute and I hoped that I clarified the time stuff up for you.

**lady elithraniel: **:takes the cookies and candy" thank you so much for your review!

**Cauldron: **Your review makes me feel so special! Thanx so much! grins like an idiot

**Jainga:** Glad that I have your approval! I hoping that I wouldn't let you down.

**Evilanimeblond22:** ehehehe well here's your long awaited update!

**YumeTakato:** lol glad that you liked it so much!

**Mystic Serenade:** As you can see, this chapter is basically what I e-mailed you, except with a few more things added on. Sorry bout that! smiled sheepishly

**Z98:** Oh My God, you gotta be kidding me. Thanx for telling me! I would have gone on like an idiot and kept using the wrong spelling! Lol.

**Guardian Angel of Innocence:** Will do.

**RuByMoOn17:** Here it is!

**Cheerlin: **hehe, I have a really good romance scene set up, for in a few chapters, but I'll try to put a lil coughalotcough more in next chapter!

**Arabella Silverbell:** Yay you agree with me! Hope that you like this update!

* * *

The next morning was the same as usual, chaos ruled over the small apartment. Rosette had woken up earlier than usual, as had Joshua, but they were still running late. The cause of this could have been of many different things.

The fact that Rosette had stared at her tooth paste and wondered, if it had one of those 'get your money back if it doesn't work' things, because she really couldn't see her teeth getting any whiter than they already were. Despite the words 'extra-whitening' slapped across the tube in bright neon red letters. Maybe it could be because her teeth were already at her whitest or maybe it was just a bunch of bogus.

Then she started wondering who had bought the toothpaste in the first place. She certainly hadn't. Nope, she went for the 'no cavities' one. She didn't really like the prospect of having holes in her teeth. Maybe Joshua had bought it, but then he had always seemed the 'all in one' kind of guy. That meant that it had to be Ewan. What an idiot, she would grind him into the ground later today and make him go get her new toothpaste.

Another thing that could have made them late might have been that Joshua kept burning the toast. He had gone through a whole loaf of bread when Ewan had finally taken over and had succeeded in burning the toaster. They had then dumped it in the kitchen sink and which had resulted in near death by eletrocution. Not the nicest way to go. Rosette did not turn up until five minutes later because she was too immersed in her toothpaste dilemma at the time.

Then when they had gotten to the car, it was found that Ewan couldn't find his keys. So while he searched his numerous pockets for his keys, Rosette and Joshua had decided to try and pick the lock. It wasn't exactly the best things to do, because then the car alarm went off. And by the time Ewan had found his keys and had turned it off, they were all temporarily deaf.

When they had finally gotten into the car and were almost at their school when Ewan decided to spring an interesting piece of information.

"Rosette I want you to check something out this afternoon with Chrno." Ewan said.

"Sure. What?" Rosette asked, she managed to pick herself out of her semi-asleep state, the prospect of doing something exorcism related and as well as working with a certain demon, was more than enough of an incentive to make her perk up.

"I'm not too sure; Chrno phoned this morning and said that he wanted to get something checked out at the factory and then he had to look something up at the archives. It sounded like a lot of work so I volunteered you to go with him." Ewan replied.

"You didn't even know if I would even say yes!" Rosette said, slightly miffed that she was so predictable.

"Well you did say yes didn't you?" Ewan teased.

"Shut up." Rosette said, she puffed her cheeks and out and quickly exited the car when it stopped in front of her school. Joshua leaned over and grabbed his bag and imitated his sister and quickly exited the car.

"Oi! Rosette, wait for me!" Joshua called to his sister's rapidly fading form.

"Hurry up Joshua! We're already late." Rosette called back. She stopped and waited for her brother to catch up to her, and tighter they made a mad dash to get to their classes.

* * *

She shifted ever so slightly so that the majority of the weight produced by her petit form was put onto her left foot. Nodding meekly every now and then, she tried to make sense of the words spewing rapidly from the principle's mouth. It wasn't going so good.

Then realizing that the man was done talking she murmured a quite thank you, took the offered map and quickly exited the office. She looked down at the mass of lines and letters in the piece of paper in front of her. According to this, her first class, math, was in room 233, meaning that she should take the nearest flight of stairs and then proceed to the opposite end of the school.

She looked down at her watch and winced when she saw the time. She was going to be late. What a way to make a first impression. Tucking her pale lavender hair behind her ears, she quickly started walking down the hallway, the echo of her heels reminding her how alone she was. They could have at least had someone to show her to her class. But oh well. She was once again alone. She was always alone. One might think that she would have gotten used to it by now.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she failed to register the fact that her shoe echoes were not alone any more. And she paid for her lack of observation when she collided with two bodies as she walked around a corner.

She did however register the pain that was inflicted on her back as she fell backwards with the combined weight of two more people on top of her.

"Joshua you idiot." Groaned one of the people on top of her, from what she could see, it was a pretty blonde girl. "Why didn't you stop?"

"How was I supposed to know, Rosette?" A boy's voice said, she was unable to see the speaker, so she tried to discreetly crane her neck, but gave up when all the resulted was a pain in her neck.

She was relived when both bodies rolled off her and stood up. The girl, Rosette, looked to be slightly older than herself. She was certainly at least a foot taller than she was and was quite pretty. She then shifted her gaze to the boy beside Rosette, Joshua. He and Rosette had to be siblings, they looked so much alike. But where Rosette was pretty, Joshua was breathtakingly handsome, a lean body, ruffled golden hair... She quickly snapped herself out of her reverie when Rosette spoke to her.

"Ah, sorry bout that." She quickly said and offered a hand out to the fallen girl. "We're late for class and were rushing around so we didn't see you ."

"That's ok." The other girl replied back.

"I'm Rosette Christopher." The blond girl said. She either felt inclined to introduce herself due to their rude introduction or she was just generally a nice girl. Perhaps both. Then gesturing to the boy beside her she said, "This is my brother-"

"Joshua Christopher." He cut his sister off. "Are you new here? I don't think that I've seen you around before."

"Yes I am new here." She accompanied her words be a slight inclination of her head, sending pale strands of hair into her face. "I'm Azamaria Hendrick."

"Where's your first class?" Rosette asked. "Where already late, so we might as well help you find it."

"Uhh.." Azamaria wracked her brain, trying to remember the class she had been thinking of only moments earlier. "Math, in room 233."

"That's my class." Joshua exclaimed with a bright grin, "Come on we better hurry."

Az returned his grin with a shy one of her own and nodded her head in agreement.

"I'll leave you two to get to your class, so bye! See you around Azamaria." Rosette said and cheerfully disappeared around the corner that had caused then to meet.

Two faint byes followed her seconds later, and then two speakers rushed down the hall.

* * *

Joshua leaned back in his chair and studied Az who was introducing herself to the front of the class. When they had reached the class things had happened in rapid succession. Joshua had been yelled at and then given a detention, which had been taken back after Az had said that he had been late because of her. Their math teacher had then assigned them to work on a math project together, as the rest of the class already had partners. Then Joshua had taken his seat and Az had started to introduce herself to the class.

Currently he was trying to ignore the guy beside him, that just happened to be one of his closest friends.

"Hey Joshua," Justin whispered, "You're so lucky man, getting stuck with a babe."

"Shut up." Joshua hissed back, couldn't the guy ever keep any of his opinions to himself? He said that loud enough for the whole class to hear!

He looked back over to where Azamaria stood in front of the class. She didn't seem to have heard. He had no doubt that had she heard she would be as red as a tomato by now. Like Justin said, she was really pretty. A petit small frame and a pale white oval face surrounded by long lavender hair...

He snapped out of his mind wandering when the object of his thoughts walked past him to settle in the seat behind him. Joshua turned around slightly studied her. She was pulling out her pencil case and flipping through the pages in her binder nervously. As if she was trying to keep her hands busy. He gave the nervous girl a small smile.

He hands stopped moving, as if comforted by it.

And his spirits soared when she gave him a small smile back

* * *

Tell me what you guys think? Az was the 'new' character that I was talking about!

Please review on your way out!


	8. Chapter 6: Library

Disclaimer: If I owned it you would have known by now. :D

I'm really sorry that its been so long since my last update and yes I have the usually excuse that a high schools student gives. The teachers seem to have some perverse enjoyment in giving us the students, so much homework that we can barely go to bed before twelve and then order early practices the next morning at 7. Meaning that I get less than 6 hrs of sleep a nite.

Now that I have the excuses over with, I'm really touched by your reviews, they made me get this chappie out faster. (Just think how long it would have taken me to get it out if you hadn't reviewed. Lol.)

Now I hope that you guys like this chapter, the plot starts to move some more! And as a little head up, I changed Remi's name back to Yuan. Just my personal preference so sorry, for any confusion! Now have fun reading my (hopefully) long awaited chappie!

Oh and Happy Thanksgiving! (To those that have it this Monday when I do!)

* * *

The year is 2044, over a hundred years since her death. With an evil threatening to reoccur for the third time, the world may have no choice but to call forth her power, and reunite her with what killed her, in hopes that she may bring about the salvation of the world. Chrno x Rosette, Joshua x Az

* * *

**NightElfCrawler:** I think that you're right about the spelling and I'm just more used to Yuan. Hehe, I have a lot planned for the Az/Josh couple.

**YumeTakato:** Here's the update!

**Mystic Serenade:** Glad that the last chapter wasn't boring for, and your emails defiantly made me update faster. Thanx! :D

**IceKaia:** Glad that you liked it!

**Hey:** I hope that you like this chappie as much as the other ones!

**lady elithraniel: **I feel your pain. I just has three tests and I have a major project due on Tuesday. We can suffer under the oppressor called school 2gether. Lol.

**Ruby-dream:** Srry that I took so long to update. Here's the next chappie!

**Tinkerbell:** Aww you don't have to thank me for writing, I should thank you for reading!

**Evilanimeblond22:** Thanx for the encourgment!

**RVD:** Thats so kool how you reviewed most of my chapters. Thank you! Opps, made a lil mistake bout the Az name, well I should be able to figure that out and explain it sometime in the next few chapters, hopefully... lol.

**Cauldron: **Your review makes me feel so special! Thanx so much! grins like an idiot

**Jainga:** Glad that I have your approval! I hoping that I wouldn't let you down.

**Arabella Silverbell: **We should find plushies of all of them!!! That would be so great!! (and then we never let them go)

**Xkutygurlx: **Thanx for the encouragement!

**Shady Lady:** Oh don't u worry, this story is never gonna die! Lol. Thanx for the comments, that whole overdoing the reincarnation thing had got me thinking, I never had even thought about that. So thanx for pointing that out.

**Joonie:** I luv your name! And you have certainly stumbled along the right place when you crossed the Chrno Crusade section.

**Lillith: **You're review certainly did get me up and running again! Thanx for the encouragement!

* * *

Chrno stretched his neck and winced when he heard the cracks and pop emitted from it. He then subjected his neck to more abuse and craned it up again, searching for a certain leather bound volume.

"What are we looking for again?" Rosette asked lazily from a ladder stretched up the expanse of a rather large bookshelf.

She was seated in between two rungs of a ladder, the ends of her skirt hanging gracefully beside her legs, which were swimming back and forth, the knee socks that draped her legs threatening to fall down any second.

"A book called Jastic." Chrno replied casually, while straining his eyes to read the worn down titles of the books.

Rosette snorted, "I don't think that that's going to help much." She said, referring to his attempts to read the titles. She leaned over to the right, ignoring the way the ladder started to tip, threatening to dump her. "You can't even read some of the titles of these books. Do you know what it looks like?" She asked.

"It's pretty old." Chrno answered.

"That takes out half of the archive, anything else?"

"It's made out of red leather."

Rosette sighed, couldn't he be anymore descriptive?

"Have you actually ever seen this book?" She asked.

"Uhh, I have once a very long time ago." Chrn answered.

Rosette continued to look. "Give me estimation on how long ago."

Chrno faltered slightly, his forehead creasing in thought. He saw it after Rosette had died, so maybe, "Seventy-years ago."

Rosette's hand slipped slightly on the book. Seventy-years ago was a very long time. How did he even remember how it looked like? She could barely remember what she had learned in math this morning. Wait. She didn't even have math today!

"And before you ask, I'm sure that I remember how it looked like." Chrno said, his voice slightly muffled when he disappeared behind a stack of books and then reappeared a few meters from where Rosette sat on the ladder.

"What's in this book anyways?" Rosette asked, leaning even further off to the side to grab a book in hopes of ending their search. "Trying to find it is like finding a needle in a haystack."

"It's a book on the relationships between human and demons." Chrno said.

"But don't we know enough about that already? You're a demon and everyone else is a human. Why do we need a book?" Rosette said.

"There's something special about this book, you'll see what I mean when we find it, its out the worlds." Chrno replied. He eyed Rosette nervously, taking in her slim form that was hanging off the ladder. "Rosette... Could you not lean so much to the edge, you'll fall off."

"Maa, relax." Rosette said, waving her hand casually. "I'm not going to fall."

Chrno lifted his eyebrow in disbelief and bent down to examine another worn book.

They continued along this pattern in a comfortable silence for about ten minutes. Rosette savored the ancient mood that the dust-covered books gave to the surrounds around her. She could imagine what the library would have been like in its younger days.

She could almost feel it. Leather-bound books with gleaming gold titles, some other paperback and hand-written documents. Reaching up her hand to stroke a worn spine, she could almost feel the swirl of a thick material around her legs, creating a comfortable, yet not a confining skirt.

Rosette sighed and leaned back. Forgetting about the sad excuse of a ladder that she sat on as it shifted and groaned. The sounds spelling disaster did not reach her ears but they did reach another's.

Chrno glanced up, his sharp ears picking up the sound of creaking wood. His gaze was captured by Rosette, so obliviously in her own world, gracefully swaying back and forth on the ladder. For some reason he could barely see traces of her habit, the faint blue outlined against the brown bookshelves. Swathing her body in a transparent dark blue. His 'vision' was broken when the ladder gave one final creak.

"Rosette!" He called desperately as he lunged for the ladder, "Watch out!"

"Waaaaa!!" Rosette cried as the ladder gave out underneath her. Desperately she tried to grab onto something, anything.

Her stray hand caught the end of a self and her fingers drove themselves into the wood. The self gave out, and Rosette was left with a rather large piece of oak in her hand. The self started to fold down where she had grabbed a piece of wood out, books that were once evenly distributed along the old self began to slid along to the middle, putting even more pressure on it. The self gave one final loud groan and joined its cousin as it collapsed, sending the books in its care hurtling toward the blond a foot below.

Chrno's lunge slammed him into the bottom of the bookshelf. He quickly looked up and caught site of Rosette and numerous books and pieces of wood coming at him at an alarmingly fast pace. He reached up and grabbed Rosette hugged her to his chest. Bending over slightly he used his head and upper body to shield the smaller body below him.

Rosette gave a slight 'oofff' when she was pushed against something hard. Strong arms wrapped around her back and something bent slightly over her, dulling the blows that the books and pieces of wood delivered. The arms wound her loosened slightly and Chrno leaned back far enough so that he could fully see Rosette's face.

"Are you ok Rosette?" He asked, his eyes searching her for any signs of injury.

Rosette jumped out of his grip and hit him lightly over the head, a read colour decorated her cheeks. "I should be the one asking you that! Are you crazy? You could have gotten seriously hurt!"

"I'm a demon; my body can handle a lot more damage than yours can." Chrno replied calmly, his voice in the opposite end of the spectrum than his younger counterpart's.

"Well that's still no reason to purposely put yourself in harm's way!" Rosette shouted back.

"And you can? I hate say it, but I told you so. You shouldn't have been leaning on that ladder that much." Chrno said back.

Rosette opened to her mouth to argue back but was distracted when a particularly scary woman appeared from the doorway. She took one look the two on the ground and the books and pieces of woods littered around them. Her mouth, already in a stern line, seemed to thin to the point where it blended in with the rest of her pale face. Fixing them with a steely glare, she pointing in the directing of the exit and said one word.

"OUT!"

* * *

Chrno and Rosette had quickly exited the archives, and now were sitting outside the gigantic building at fountain, that had ceased to spout water years ago.

"All that trouble and we didn't even find the book!" Rosette fumed, "She just ordered us out! We didn't even get the time to say sorry!"

"Well you can't really blame her." Chrno said, trying to clam her down. "We did destroy a whole bookshelf." That in itself was pretty bad, but at least it wasn't a whole building like it used to be. "I guess the book wasn't really that important, but it would have been helpful."

"Could you explain to me again what was supposed to be in it?" Rosette asked.

"Pandemonia and this world are lying in parallel planes, so in theory they should be overlapping with one another in certain parts of the world. I wanted to see what those parts were the books explained all of the 'intersecting' points and any incidents that have happed there." Chrno said.

Rosette sighed, it didn't seem that important to her, but then again she didn't even know what he wanted to know for. She was about the asked when her stomach decided to voice its opinion.

Chrno smiled, "Want to get a bite to eat?" He asked.

Rosette turned the idea over in her head. It was her turn to cook tonight, so she could go home and eat some hastily whipped up dish. Or she could go out to eat with a handsome demon and leave the guys to starve.

She would have had to be an idiot not to choose the latter.

* * *

The small flame a top a blood red candle was the only thing illuminating the dark room. It cast eerie shadows along the large walls, complementing the sadistic mood that the occupant was currently in. He eyed the candle, watching greedily as red droplets of wax rolled down the candle. Only in the occupants eye's it was blood instead of wax, a perfectly tear dropped shaped droplet. It slid elegantly over the wrought iron statue the held it. Slipping over the masterly sculpted crying face, screaming out in pain and sorrow.

He supposed that he had waiting long enough. After all it had been over a hundred years. He had already lost once, and, would call the last one a tie. It had left his opponent broken for quite a long time.

Was it revenge? No not quite.

A game? It could be called that. It was a game to him, albeit a dangerous one, but it's like gambling. What was the point of playing if they're wasn't some risk? Though the other players were probably entirely unwilling, they would have no choice but to play.

After all, it is always fun to play a new version of a game with the same people.

-End CH. 6-

* * *

So what do you guys think? The last little bit a lot of hidden meaning to it, so think a bit about what they mean. And yes this is out 'bad guy' now who ever could it be? I wonder... lol. The end is prob a bit confusing too, so srry bout that.

Well I hoped that you guys liked the Chrno X Rosette fluff. Now just wondering? Would you guys want t o see some Josh X Az stuff next chappie? More so than Chrno X Rosette stuff? Oh and someone pointed out to me that I might be overdoing the whole reincarnation thing. If I add in another character, say Satella, would that really be overdoing the whole thing? Pls tell me what you think!

Please review on your way out!


	9. Chapter 7: Operation Misletoe

This chapter is dedicated to Mystic Serenade who in a very nice way got me off my butt and updating.

I have had some reviews asking if I had given up on this story or my other story "Nine Months of Hell". I will never give up any of my chapters, I'm just a little bit lazy, and the chapters do come out slow, but i will never give up on any of my stories. lol

So the setting of this fic started on Dec 10, 2044, so I figure that by now it should be Christmas in this little world that I have created. I do realize that I have missed both Christmas and New Years in the real world. I hope that I don't offend anyone by using Christmas. Christmas is the holiday that I feel most familiar with, seeing as that I celebrate it every year. I got sick from it too. )which is one of the reason's why I'm writing this. Sorry that there won't be any replies to your reviews, I'm just going to post this and thank you guys in the second part of this Christmas special. Thanks for being so patient with me!

* * *

Vacant ruby eyes stared out the window. The curtains were pulled back and tucked around metal hooks, so that they wouldn't fall back. The light that spilled through the glass provided the only illumination in the room.

The lone light in the dark.

She shifted her eyes to look back into the room and gazed at the silhouetted room. It was sparsely furnished with a small bed, a dresser, a table and a kitchenette. The dark wood of the door that led to the bathroom and another one perpendicular from it that led to the hall bordered her apartment. It was small, but she didn't need much.

Loose sheets of music littered the floor; echoes of mournful notes could be almost heard by the ears of the past. Singing was what had destroyed her life. It was her life.

She let her head fall back, letting her pale lavender hair cascade over her shoulders and pool behind her back. Her normally prime posture was now replaced by slumped shoulders and a slouched back that relied heavily on the chair behind it. Her body was heavily lined with the depression that could be created when one was utterly alone in the world.

At first the foreign ring of the phone was distant in her ears as her mind focused on the still shadows on the ceiling above. The suddenly it became a harsh annoyance to her ears. She leapt up and looked around for the source of the noise. She had never needed to answer the phone before. Locating it she picked it up.

"Hello?" her voice was flustered with the sneaking suspicion that she had made the caller wait a long time.

"May I please speak to Azamaria?" a boy's voice asked.

"Speaking." Az answered back, who would be calling her?

"Hi! This is Joshua Christopher, you know the one from school?" his voice was cheerful, but there was a slight ring of nervousness to it.

"I-I remember." Az said, slightly cursing the stutter in her words.

"Oh good. Umm, I was calling to talk to you about that math project that we have to do."

"Ah right. I forgot about that." Yeah right. It was constantly on her mind. They couldn't come and work at her apartment, meaning that they would have to work at Joshua's. He probably had a nice perfect family, with his sister and two loving parents. How would she act? The last time that she had been around a slightly normal family was… well never.

Family held no meaning for her. The only thing that she could associate with it would be the yelling, hitting and crying. Talk about a fucked up view.

"Hello? Are you still there?" Joshua asked eagerly.

"Yes, sorry about that. What were you saying?" Why to make a good impression! She wanted to sound friendly and open, not sound like she didn't care what he was saying.

"I was wondering if you wanted to work on it tomorrow." Joshua said.

"Tomorrow is…" she trailed off. She had no need to keep track of dates.

"Uhh, it's Christmas. I'm sorry, that was kind of stupid of me, you'd probably want to spend it with your family." Joshua said, sounding a bit dejected.

"No it's ok. I don't have any family here, unless you want to spend it with your family." Az said hesitantly.

"No family at Christmas?" Joshua asked slight bewildered.

Az cringed, she knew he hadn't meant it, but another reminder that she had no one to celebrate the holidays with hurt, and what made the aching worse was that it was all her fault.

"Well then would you want to come over tomorrow and celebrate Christmas with us? You know what they say, the more the merrier." Joshua continues on.

"Your family won't mind?"

"Nahh, I they'd be happy to have you here. In fact Yuan, he's my uncle, was bugging us to see if we could drag anymore people over."

Az giggled. He was trying so hard to make sure that she would come. How could she say no? "Sure I'll come."

"If you could come over at two that would be great. So see you tomorrow! Jah!"

Az hung up. Maybe this Christmas won't be so bad after all. Then a thought struck her that caused her to go into a slight panic. All through the brief conversation an important detail has been left out. Where did he live?

* * *

Yuan looked upon his apartment with pride. It was an elf's dream. Snow spray painted along every window and mirror. Streamers were hung from every corner. Candy canes, wreathes and pine cones were adorning every imaginable surface. And of course his pride and joy. A strategically placed bough of mistletoe that was hung above the Christmas tree. If all went well there would be two happy couples tonight.

Yuan congratulated himself on his brilliance. He has originally thought of the mistletoe plan for Chrno and Rosette, God knows that the two could need some pushing along, and he was pretty sure that Chrno wouldn't care so much about that missing Christmas bonus anymore. However the plot concerning Joshua, that had come into light not too long ago. He was having a girl over for Christmas dinner. It didn't matter that they has originally been working on a math project. Just watching his face blush a light red when telling him about his 'friend' told Yuan that this was no ordinary girl for Joshua. What's more was that the girl's name was Azamaria.

Coincidence? I think not.

Yuan refused to let the thought that Joshua and Az would have made a cute couple back in the day enter his mind. That would only bring the bitter pangs of how life could have been so different for the two couples, instead of the twisted and warped fragments that they had been left with. Those days of pain were gone now. This was a new century. A new beginning and so help God him if he allowed their chances to be screwed over again.

His heroic train of thoughts was interrupted when a certain blonde female entered the scene. She looked quite startled but seemed at ease with the new renovation. However any control that she possessed was lost when she stepped into the bath room slipped on the fake snow on the ground and came out screaming bloody murder. Yuan deemed it a good time to improve his cardiovascular endurance.

* * *

Az walked hesitantly up to the door and meekly pressed the door bell. She hoped that she had gotten the right address, it had taken her some time to find Joshua's number in the phone book yesterday and then she had to summon up a large amount of courage to call him. She knew that he did not mean to forget to tell her where she lived on purpose. The embarrassment in his voice when he apologized to her told her that.

She looked quickly down at what she was wearing, a pale lavender shirt and black pants. Not too dressy, and not too casual, she hoped. She had never been a good judge with clothes. What did one wear to Christmas dinner? She gave a small sigh, it didn't matter now. She was here in front of the door and her presence had already been announced with the melodious chimes of the door bell.

The door creaked open and then was flung wide with such a force that she would have normally jumped back. However she was frozen in place when a fairly skinny Santa shouted "Hohoho," at her.

Az was thankful when Joshua appeared, dressed in black jeans, a white tee-shirt and a brown button down shirt thrown over it with brown antlers stuck to his head and pushed the dysfunctional Santa out of the way. "Sorry bout that," he murmured, "I think Rosette banged his head one too many times this morning."

"That's alright, your Dad can dress up however he likes," she said quietly.

"Dad?" Joshua questioned.

"Oh I'm sorry. Is he not? I was wrong of me to assume that he was your father," Az mentally berated herself. She defiantly did not leave the best impressions on him.

"Yuan? Oh no it okay, he's kinda like an adoptive uncle. Took us from the orphanage, gave us a home. Now we have to put up with him whenever he gets into one of his… insane moods. Do you want to come in?" Joshua opened the door and stepped aside, letting the petit girl through.

"Thank you," she said. Az glanced around, decorations that had been placed with care were strewn around. Battered streamers lay dejected and ripped on the floor. The apartment now resembled a war zone.

"Please don't mind the mess," a female voice said. Azamaria turned to her right and saw a blond girl seated on a couch. "Yuan got a bit carried away with the decorations and I felt the need to insure that he would understand that there was a limit to how much a small apartment can be accessorized." She gave a small, sly, grin at her words. "Needless to say he got the point, and I now consider this mess to be a form of… modern art."

Az felt a warm genuine grin form on her face. If she remembered correctly this was Rosette. She took another glance around the apartment and noticed that the ornaments had been shaken off the top of the tree. She sent a questioning look Rosette's way.

"Yuan put up some mistletoe. I wasn't thinking straight when I took it down." She said sheepishly.

"I worked hard to put that up too." Yuan said, reentering the conversation after being shoved out when he had answered the door.

"And I worked had to get it down. Why would you put mistletoe over a _Christmas tree_ of all places?" Rosette asked, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"When are we meeting Chrno for dinner?" Yuan asked, changing the subject quite awkwardly.

Rosette's cheeks were dusted over with a light pink at the mention of the demon's name. She narrowed her eyes and could not help but think that it was no coincidence that his name appeared immediately after the subject of mistletoe.

"6:00" She turned over to where Joshua and Az stood, "You guys might want to start working, you have to about 5: 30, because then we have to go if we want to make our reservation."

"Reservation?" Az asked, her face paled a bit. She was in no way dressed to go to a restaurant on Christmas!

"Joshua you dumbass! You didn't tell her that we were going out for dinner?" Rosette scolded.

"It slipped my mind. Sorry about that Azamaria." Joshua said sheepishly.

"You usually remember stuff like this. Any special reason why you forgot? Any recent distractions?" Rosette sent a sly glance towards Az and then locked gazes with her now slightly redder younger brother.

"Shut up Onee-san, what would you know?" Joshua snapped.

"A lot more than you think," Rosette said in reply, "Azamaria, I'll find you around 5 o'clock and I'll give you something to change into."

"Hai, thank you." Az said, and gave Rosette a small smile. She then found her wrist encircled by a warm hand. She looked up and saw that her captor was Joshua.

"Come on," he mumbled, "We'll go to my room where we can get some work done." And he led her out of sight of both Yuan and Rosette.

Rosette flipped over on the couch so that she was lying down, with her head buried in one of the numerous pillows.

"Wake me up when it's almost 5 o'clock," she muttered.

Yuan looked at the young blonde and smiled. His mistletoe might have been taken down, but that didn't mean that his intentions had gone with it. Oh no, as far as he was concerned, there would be two very happy couples tonight.

End Ch. 7-

Please review on your way out!

* * *

Next chapter is going to be filled with fluff, and lo and behold there might just be some actual movement in the plot! There wasn't any Chrno/Rosette stuff in this chapter, but there will be tons in the next chapter. And I do have something specail planned! I'm also pretty sure that it will take a lot shorter time to come out then this chapter did.


	10. Chapter 8: Litte Saint

Sorry for the extremely long wait! I hope that this extra long chapter will makes you guys a bit happier. Hmm a Christmas chapter in the middle of a heat wave…. Ok…. Um ya I've kind of given up responding to reviews. So thank you to everyone who liked my story and encouraged me to write more. To those who either complained or told me that I was doing something wrong I suggest that you pay a bit more attention to the anime/ manga. But I love all my reviewers!

* * *

Yuan leaned back into the leather seat of his car. Dinner was what he would call a success. Rosette had, as she promised, lent Azamaria a dark purple dress, and had tied her hair up in an elegant mass of small braids, with some looses lockets to fall across her back. The young teen made a made a pretty picture that had Rosette smiling in pride, and Joshua gaping in open admiration. Needless to say, the attention had the teen crawling back into her shell, but at the constant prodding and humor that the siblings had provided and the wall that she had put up was quickly torn down. Rosette had chosen a dress of royal blue, and had put her hair half up in a small bun, leaving plenty of thick golden strands to cover her bare shoulders.

They had arrived at their reservation on time. Chrno however was late. The purple haired demon arrived half an hour after the specified time, but no one seemed to care all that much. Dinner has past by pretty fast after that, with a constant conversation going between the five people. Yuan had caught Chrno's eye some point during the night and had seen the pure joy in the demon's eyes at having Rosette by his side. He could count the number of times that he had seen the demon that happy on one hand. Yuan swore to himself that he would do all in his power to let Chrno and Rosette finally have their happy ending. They had been finishing up their desert when Yuan had made the stupid move of look at his cell phone.

There were ten missed calls.

Fact: It was Christmas.

Assumption: Celebrations would be everywhere in the city, if not for religious reasons, than just for an excuse to have a party.

Conclusion: Some demons would see this as perfect opportunity to cause trouble.

Yuan excused himself from the table and went outside to listen to the messages. There were two prank calls. One guy called and said that his wife was possessed, but considering the fact that he could hear a woman screaming in the background at finding him and another woman together he crossed that one off too. There was a call about dog foaming at the mouth. He called those people back and told them to contact wild life services. It seemed that they had a rabid dog on their hands. That left six probable cases. What a way to spend Christmas night. Yuan shifted forward in his seat and remembered the conversation that had ensued.

"_Lots of calls?" Chrno asked as Yuan sat back down in his seat._

"_Yeah." Yuan ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Ten, but only six seem probable cases."_

"_We have to work on Christmas?" Rosette whined and she puffed out her cheeks, "Fine, but I want a Christmas bonus then."_

"_Whatever will keep you working." Yuan replied, "I figure that if we split them three ways then it won't be too much work."_

"_Three ways?" Joshua questioned._

"_Ya. I'll take two, Chrno and Rosette can take three and then you and Azamaria can take one. That is if she wants too." Yuan said looking at each person as he said their name, leaving his gaze to rest on Az last._

"_You want me to help you?" Azamaria asked, "But I don't think that I would be very good at it." Over the evening Yuan had explained exactly what he did for a living and the other three had pitched in tales of their own adventures, and the predicaments that they had gotten into._

"_Nonsense, I'm sure that you'll be fine. You'll have Joshua with you and it'll only be a little thing. Don't worry about it, we trust you." Yuan said with a slight smile at the timid girl. _

"_I'm working with Chrno?" Rosette asked, though she had no complaints what so ever is she was curious as to why Yuan put Chrno and her together. _

"_Is that a problem?" Yuan asked._

"_No." Rosette answered back._

"_He's quite experienced and you're pretty good already so I'm giving you two the most to do. There's a possessed snowman and a haunted staircase at one apartment building and a demon trapped in a room at another e party,. I'll pay for the bill, so if you would be off?" he gestured towards Chrno and Rosette and then towards the door. "I have to drop off Joshua and Azamaria, but since Chrno can drive you guys can go now." _

_Chrno nodded and stood up, "Come on Rosette, let's go." _

_Yuan couldn't help but smile at their backs as they left. It was kind of like the old times, except that Chrno was mroe in charge now, when before it was Rosette._

* * *

The haunted staircase was easily taken care of. Someone had thought it would be funny to pranks the stair case so anyone going to a party on the above levels would get a cold, soaking wet reception. A poltergeist had discovered the prank and had taken a personal interest in it, so that now, when anyone attempted to climb the staircase they would have a high probability of ending up with some broken bones. The second the poltergeist had sensed Chrno's presence it had been running with its proverbial and literal tail between its legs.

The possessed snowman at one of the parties taking place in the apartment complex was the brother (or sister, but Rosette was pretty sure it was a male due to the beard and certain leering glances that it had sent at her and other female presences in the room) of the poltergeist in the staircase. Once again the presence of a much stronger demon had it running, but they caught it and gave it a firm warning not to bother anyone else, and to pass the message along to its sibling.

The haunted room at the other party turned out to be a much bigger problem. The party was hosted in a fairly well known hotel, which meant that the host had a lot of money, which of course would lead to the assumption that there would be a lot of people present. Not something that exorcists wanted when dealing with man-eating demons. The son of the host was somewhat of a play boy and his fooling around had gotten a teen pregnant. The teen's hatred toward the father has unfortunately been passed on toward the child. The unstable girl had given birth to the child only to sacrifice it and summon a power she hoped would kill its father. Rosette was thankful that the girl had decided to do it secretly before unleashing the demon among the party goers. Unfortunately before she escaped the flesh-eating demon had devoured her and was now thirsty for more blood.

They walked into the hotel and notified the receptionist of who they were. The were then quickly and quietly ushered by a man to one of the side rooms, with the apologies that the host would not want to draw attention to the manner by leaving the party, though they were welcome to join the party after they had finished the job. This left Rosette glaring at the door.

"What's wrong?" Chrno asked immidealty after the man left. You had to be extraordinarily slow or oblivious to not notice that Rosette was caused the door to decay slightly faster than it normally would have with her glare.

"The man doesn't even care! His son has played around and there are the death of a girl and an innocent to account for it, and he doesn't even care enough to make a personal appearance. We'll probably finish the job, get paid and be sent on our way." Rosette said bitterly.

"It will probably turn out that way, but we have a job to." Chrno replied back, "I'm not saying that were doing this just for the money. We get paid so that we can keep this business going. We're doing this so that other people will not get hurt by something that they have no knowledge of. And once were done we can put enough of a dent in his wallet that he'll think about what his son's actions have led to and hopefully do something about it."

Rosette looked at Chrno and sighed. "Let's get this over with." She muttered and pulled out a small knife and gun.

"Remember we weren't exactly expecting to go on any jobs tonight, so we don't have much, than what was in my car." Chrno reminded her.

"Only one round in the gun and then all I have is the knife." Rosette said, "Are you sure that I can take both of them?"

"I am a demon, thus I come with certain built in weapons that humans seem to lack." He told Rosette with a slight upturn of his lips, that seemed to make Rosette's pulse quicken.

They each took on side of the door, Rosette by the hinges and Chrno opposite from her. Chrno bent down and examined the doorknob and lock. "It doesn't seem as if it's tried to break down the door, the door still seems to be locked." He said.

"Do you know how to pick a lock?" Rosette asked.

"No." Chrno replied, "Do you?"

"Nope."

"Right then." Chrno flashed her a quick smile and then slammed the door open with his shoulder.

He quickly disappeared into the room and Rosette followed immediately after. She slammed the door shut and then pressed her back on it. They could not let the demon escape into the main part of the hotel. The room was dimly illuminated by a series of candles sprinkled about the room. The candles along with symbols drawn in the rusty red of dried blood seemed to create a pattern. Though the candles provided a source of light they also created many shadows. Rosette groped along the wall for a light switch and when she flicked the switch when she found it. All the created was numerous sparks, as the lights had been ripped out of their positions and wires sloppily severed. Swearing in her mind she quickly flicked the switch off.

"Hello?" A quavering voice asked. "Who's there?" the voice belonged to a child; it was hard to tell whether it was a girl or a boy, in the corner of the room.

Rosette took a desk and shoved it across the door and slowly walked toward the girl, Chrno falling two steps behind her. As impossible as it seemed this child was probably the demon that they were looking for. There was no other way that there would be another living thing alive in this room.

"Hello." Rosette answered as she approached, gripping the gun tighter. "What do you have in you're hand there?"

"This?" the child answered lifting itss head to reveal the blood smears that covered its face. "Why don't you take a look?"

It flung the thing at Rosette and lunged for her. Rosette quickly dodged out of the way and fired multiple bullets. They hit the wall with a deadening thud.

"Too slow." It taunted mockingly.

The candles towards her right started were being smothered. She raised her gun and started to fire in that direction. Something slashed her back and Rosette stumbled forward.

"Rosette!" Chrno called out and looped his arm around the front of her waist to keep her from falling. The other arm whipped out to slam into the child-like demon, he twisted his arm around and caught both of its arms. The demon hissed and kicked out, catching Chrno in the face. He didn't let go, but his grip became lose enough for a split second for the demon to get free.

"I'm fine. The cut wasn't that deep." Rosette mumbled and pushed back from Chrno's firm chest, face slightly red and small trails of blood running down her back.

She turned around her pressed her back to Chrno's. Back to back they looked out in the increasingly dark room. The candles were being rapidly put out by the fast moving demon. The demon was taking full advantage of its self-produced darkness by mockingly throwing words at them from all sides of the room.

"What's wrong?" It clucked at them, "Can't find me?" it sneered from another corner of the room.

Growling Rosette fired off a bullet from where the voice came from.

"Missed me." The demon sneered.

"Rosette, I'm sure you recognize that you're a bit hot headed at times but now isn't a really good time." Chrno whispered to his blonde partner.

"Hot headed?" Rosette whispered back, her tone betraying that she was a bit more than slightly insulted.

"Uh…" Chrno regretted his slight 'slip' of tongue, he needed a lot more time than the decades that had been forced upon him to forget Rosette's explosive temper. "I find it an endearing trait." He said quickly.

"Stop flirting and concentrate on the job." Rosette muttered, debating whether to feel insulted or flattered. Since this wasn't a particularly good time to be fighting with her emotions she settled with firing at the demon again. Apparently having extremely good aim and being emotionally charged at the same time was a good thing, because the bullet actually hit.

The demon hissed and collapsed in the corner of the room. Rosette stood back and emptied what was left in the gun into the small demon. It hissed at her and Chrno standing behind her. It slowly inched forward, its hand stretched lout and clawing at what it had thrown at Rosette before. With a sickening realization Rosette recognized the object to be the small bloody, body of a baby. She pulled out the knife and discarded the now empty gun. Dashing forward she plunged the knife into the body of the demon swept her leg out in an attempt to kick the body of the baby away. The demon screamed and its arm seemed to elongate, catching the body of the baby and leaving deep gashes across Rosette's leg. It dragged the body of the baby towards itself and its mouth seemed to stretch far beyond what should have been its normal capacity to swallow the small body whole. The demon's body convulsed and then split open in the back where Rosette's knife was embedded in it.

She let go of the knife quickly and took a couple steps backwards before tripping. The demon shed its skin, and wore its true body. Lanky limbs, grotesque hair covering its body and a putrid smell that accompanied it. The appearance of the demon seemed to be mocking the build of humans. It howled and reached for Rosette, only to be slammed back into a wall by Chrno, now fully transformed.

"Don't touch her." Chrno growled.

The flesh-eating demon slammed on of its limbs into Chrno's side sending him flying. The room was much too small for Chrno to spread his wings so he had no choice but brace himself for the impact of him against the wall.

"The slayer of a 1000 demons, such an honor it is to meet you." A mocking voice said. "But I must confess I'm slightly disappointed, you're weaker than I expected. Must be those humans. Demons are the strongest when they live off blood and pain, such has been my experience."

"I highly doubt that you've has any other experiences." Chrno snapped back, lunging forward.

The two demons met in the middle of the room amongst the rust blood symbols and extinguished candles. Rosette moved back beside the door, there was not much more that she could do to aid in this fight, she could barely see with the minimal light that the few candles left lit in the room provided. The two demons fought for control in the middle of the room, Chrno gained the upper hand when he slammed his opponent into the ceiling.

"Rosette!" He hollered, "The lights!"

Rosette flicked the light on and the demon howled as volts of electricity ran into its back. Chrno gave a final growl and drove his fist thru the demon's chest. All signs of struggle ceased and Chrno let the dead demon drop to the ground.

"You okay Rosette?" Chrno asked.

"Ya, just some scratches on my leg and back." Rosette replied, "How about you?"

"I'm fine, some scratches that will heal pretty fast and that's all. Lets get out of here and look at you're 'scratches', k?" Chrno asked.

Rosette swung open that door and walked back out into the hallway of the hotel, Chrno following closely behind her. Chrno flagged down one of the bell boys and asked him to find the host of the party and for a role of bandages and water. He turned Rosette's back to him and used the newly delivered bandages and water to clean her cut.

"You're back seems to be fine." Chrno murmered, he glanced down at the cuts on her leg. "Your leg however is another matter."

Rosette sat down on a nearby chair and lifted her dress to see the damage on her leg. Three neat deep gashes adorned her left leg from her shin to her knee. She winced slightly as he cleaned the deep cuts, but relaxed when firm layers of gauze settled over her leg.

"All better." Chrno said a she patted her leg gently. "Your dress seems to be fairly intact so why don't you go enjoy the party? I'm going to have a talk with our friend here." He shook his head in the direction of a well-dressed man, who they could assume to be the host of the party.

"I want to stay then." Rosette said, "Besides what am I supposed to do at the party?"

"I don't know." Chrno shrugged, "Just mingle, I'll meet you in half an hour by the refreshment's table. Now go."

Rosette glared at him and wondered why she should even listen to him; she didn't listen to people most of the time. However at the party was the bastard who had gotten the girl pregnant in the first place, and so in a way started the whole mess. Linking her hands behind her back she started towards the party.

* * *

Rosette sighed. She had finished her job, so now she 'mingled' with the crowd like Chrno had said. She walked tiredly among the mass of people. Rosette wondered when Chrno would be done. She glanced at her watch, they had said to meet back in and hour and it was already twenty minutes past that, and still no sign of the host's son. Looking around Rosette realized that she didn't even know where she was, never mind the table that they had agreed to meet at.

"Lost little saint?" A smooth voice asked.

Rosette turned her head and saw a tall man dressed up as Santa Claus, or she guessed so. He had the white hair, a small pair of glasses, and a red jacket, but no beard, and was defiantly not fat. She had to question the effort that he had put into dressing up, if he had wanted into appear like plump old man that St. Nicholas was portrayed as, he could have at least stuffed a pillow under his jacket, it was a well known trick, or added a few bells here or there. And what was with the 'little saint' comment? Was it a sad excuse of a pick up line?

"You're not a very good Santa Claus." Rosette said back.

The man laughed, "You caught me. I didn't put much effort into my dress for this fine evening. It was more of a last minute spontaneous decision."

He was kind of weird but seemed harmless. "Do you know where the refreshments table is?" She asked

"Over there to the right." He waved his hand carelessly, "Keep walking that way and you won't miss it. But why go to the refreshment table when we have so many people offering them to us?"

"I'm meeting someone there." Rosette replied.

"Ahhh. I see, a special someone perhaps?" The man asked, and smiled when Rosette blushed, "Be happy with him." The man turned slightly and caught two glasses off a passing waiter. "A parting drink." He said and offered it to her.

"I don't drink" Rosette said, she knew that she was often mistaken for someone of legal drinking age, and didn't really want to explain to him that she was under age.

"Not to worry, I suspected as much. You see I have champagne," he held up a glass filled with a bubbly clear pale yellow liquid, "and you have fruit punch." He offered her a glass with a red fluid in it.

Rosette took the glass thank the man, bid him Merry Christmas and walked towards the refreshment table, taking small sips as she went along her way.

The man smiled at her retreating back and murmured softly, "The gun has been loaded little saint, just find the right trigger and your memories shall come spilling back to you in a chaotic swirl. Have a very Merry Christmas"

* * *

Chrno didn't have to look far to find Rosette. He made his way back to the refreshment table and then found her dancing starting to pick a fight with a guy about twenty feet away. Chrno hurriedly made his way over to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked wrapping a hand around her forearm in an attempt to restrain her and she anyone else that she was taken.

"This bastard grabbed my but!" Rosette growled. She was swaying slightly where she was standing, and her cheeks were flushed red. Chrno realized that she was drunk.

"I did not! This little bitch is lying, why would I have any interest in her?" The man across from her shouted.

Chrno looked at the man she accused; he looked to be about in his early twenties, dark brown hair, deep blue eyes, he painted quite a handsome picture, and seemed like a younger version of the man that he had just finished talking too. From the way that he looked leeringly at Rosette Chrno had no doubt that he indeed had groped her.

"Why would you have interest in her indeed." Chrno said in a deadly low voice, "She's already taken."

Rosette looked up at Chrno, "Really?" She asked innocently, "By whom?"

Chrno ignored her question and whispered into her ear, "I'm pretty sure that he's our playboy."

"Hmmm…" Rosette stared at the man for a couple seconds, pondering her next course of action. With a quick nod of her head she lunged forward and punched the man in the eye.

"Shit!" The man swore as he stumbled backwards, "What the hell was that for?"

"For being such a bastard." Rosette said as she swayed a bit from her quick and sudden movements. "Stop playing around with women!"

Chrno reached forward and took hold of Rosette's hands. "Sorry," he said loudly so that the gathering crowd could hear, "Violent drunk. Run along to daddy now." He said the man, and proceeded to drag Rosette out of the crowd. Chrno took the near empty glass that Rosette had in her left hand and sniffed it. It contained enough fruit punch so that the drink remained the color red, but the rest was some of the purest alcohol that he had ever smelt and something else that he couldn't identify.

"Let's take you home." Chrno said gently to Rosette as he set the glass on a near by table.

"Home? But why? I was having so fun!" Rosette stepped forward and Chrno whipped out his hand to catch her before she fell.

"Fun time is over, we're going to my place." Chrno said.

"Hmm that sounds nice." Rosette mused, "You know what Chrno I haven't given you a Christmas present yet." She leaned up along his arm and brushed her lips against his. "Merry Christmas!" She said cheerfully.

"You're going to remember that in the morning you know." He said smiling at his unexpected Christmas present.

"How do you know?" Rosette questioned.

"You're not a drunk that forgets." Chrno said remembering past experiences.

"How do you know?" Rosette asked again, finding some kind of juvenile pleasure in re-asking the same question.

"From past experiences." Chrno said.

"What experiences, I don't remember." Roserre asked confused.

"You will one day." Chrno sighed, "Rosette, who gave you that drink?"

"Umm let me think." She said while being guided past curious onlookers and out the door. "Hmm a Santa Claus! But he wasn't much of a good one though. Didn't have a beard, only white hair, oh yea and he wasn't fat!" She looked slightly disgruntled at this, "Do you know what he called me?" Rosette asked looking at Chrno as he put her in the car. "Little Saint!"

Chrno froze.

"Rosette how did he look like again?" Chrno asked.

"I already told you. White hair, tall, oh and he had glasses."

"Are you sure that he gave you that drink?"

"What drink? Oh thattt one." Rosette said knowingly, "Yup."

Chrno sat in the car and gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Aion, it was possible that he could just be jumping to conclusions but something had been in the back of his mind all night. How could a human girl find out such a complex summoning spell, and proceed to carry it out correctly enough that she had actually summoned quite a powerful demon and the name 'little saint', much more than a coincidence. The fact that Aion had been so close to her, and had slipped something unknown in Rosette's drink left a bitter taste in Chrno's mouth.

Chrno picked up his cell phone and dialed Yuan's number. He quickly informed him that Rosette would be staying with him for the night; mentioning that he would explain the details later.

* * *

Rosette retched into the toilet, white shaking hands holding the seat in a death grip. Gentle hands slowly gathered the hair, which was threatening to spill in after her vomit, away from her face. Rosette leaned deeper into the toilet as her stomach emptied itself completely. A soothing hand rubbed her back.

When her stomach was empty she leaned back, bumping into the firm chest of Chrno. He leaned forward and wiped her face with a cool cloth. She closed her eyes in silent relief.

"First time drunk?" He asked, quiet voice laced with humor.

"First time ever drinking." Rosette replied.

"Really, that would explain why you couldn't detect the alcohol in the fruit punch then." A silent laughter could be seen in his eye.

"Are you mocking me?"

"Of course not. I would not dare provoke your wrath.

"Oh shut up, I feel like hell right now. And don't you know what it's like to be drunk?"

"I have a high alcohol capacity, its takes a lot more than a spiked drink to get drunk." Chrno didn't add that it was a very potent spiked drink.

"What like twenty beers?"

"No, more like twenty vodkas."

"Are you serious?"

"Do I sound like I'm joking?"

"Yes."

Chrno raised his eyebrows, and even though she couldn't see his face, Rosette could _feel_ that he wasn't.

"That's gotta be one hell of a bill."

"I had the money to spare."

"Well if you could spare it on booze, then that would explain why your apartment looks so nice."

"Expensive booze. I didn't think that you were feeling well enough to look at your surroundings when we came in."

"I wasn't. I'm judging it all by your bathroom."

"Does that mean that I have a nice bathroom?"

"Yes."

They sat there in silence. With Rosette leaning against Chrno's chest, her head just under his chin and his arms still half wrapped around her from when her had wiped her face. His legs were off to the side and hers were still on either side of the toilet, so now in front of her. Moonlight from a high, small window in the bathroom bathed Rosette's face in an angelic glow and leaving Chrno's face in the shadows.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Rosette asked jokingly.

"Ah..." Chrno trailed off, his throat choked with emotion and a deep aching started inside him.

"Taking advantage of a drunken girl in a bathroom. Perverttttttttttttttttttt." Rosette responded lightly.

When she didn't get a reply, Rosette twisted around so that she could face him, ignoring the slightly nauseous feeling that came along with it.

"Chrno, what's wrong…"

The shadows had accented his face, making him look even captivating. Loneliness and another unknown emotion were in his crimson eyes. Rosette felt drawn to him, something deep inside her heart went out to him. She was suddenly aware of how little space there was between them, and if she lifted her face just a little bit, their lips would meet.

She didn't know what came over her, she felt compelled to do it. Ever so slowly Rosette tilted her head and her lips brushed against his in the feather lightest of kisses. He leaned in, making the kiss firmer and wrapped his arms fully around her. Chrno was completely surprised when he felt Rosette go limp in his arms, and her mouth slack.

"Rosette…..?" he looked at her curiously.

She had fainted dead away.

* * *

**That witch Satella! (A/N: No pun intended. :p) Who did she think she was? Just because I came from a humble upbringing did not mean that I couldn't dance. I spied Chrno next to me and dragged him on the old wooden dance stage, amidst the joyous couples that were spinning around. It didn't look that hard. A couple steps here, turn there, twist here. It kind of resembled flying. Chrno was good at flying; he'd had hundreds of years of practice. This should be easy. **

**I stepped backwards, pulling Chrno with me, sending his smaller frame off balance and the red coattails of his overcoat flying. He stumbled and accidentally stepped on my foot. Accidentally yes. But he stepped hard. He probably apologized, but I didn't care. I stepped on his foot hard. Revenge was sweet!**

**At least while it lasted.**

**His foot lunged for mine, and I quickly stepped out of the way aiming for his foot while I was at it. I missed, and had to dodge again when his foot came back seeking vengeance. Our hands locked and we had to use the momentum of each other to keep moving. I had no clue the precise moment that it happened, but eventually our war of the feet turned into a dance. We were actually dancing!**

**I smiled at Chrno, adrenaline spurred by pure enjoyment raced through my veins. I was here, with Chrno, dancing. How often does that happen? Gone from my mind was the constant worry and anxiety of finding Joshua and getting him out of Aion's clutches before my time ran out. It was just me and Chrno, the demon that I had come to know and love in ways that he probably suspected and returned, flying in our own little realm. **

**I was disappointed when Az called us from down from the dance stage to take a picture. But it was only trading one precious moment for another. Of course I was jealous when Satella glomped Chrno. I remember her butler saying that she had a thing for younger boys. Pfft ya right. Both she and I knew that Chrno was older than we could imagine. So in the end we each got a side of him. It was the first and the last picture that we ever took together. **

**In time we would each be forced to go our own ways and fade away. I think that the only one who would have been able to receive the photograph would have be Az. But then time would take its toll and she would eventually fade away, the picture to wander the years and get lost between the pages of time. **

* * *

Rosette was awake. She had yet to open her yes, but she was awake, and very much alert. How could she be not? The dream that she had just had….. It seemed too real. It was a confusing dream with people that she knew in it, and people that she didn't know in it. But in her dream she had a perfect understanding of what was happening and who everyone was. Now that she was awake Rosette found herself struggling to remember everything that she knew in her dream. What she did remember in vivid detail were the emotions she felt. The painful mix of happiness and nostalgia and an overpowering love for… Chrno.

Rosette shook her head. She had known the guy for all of a month, there was no way that she could love him already. Sure he was nice, good-looking, kind, considerate, and able to put up with her moods, but what did she really know about the guy? He was a demon. He knew Yuan. Basically that was it. Sure some people feel in love knowing a lot less, but she couldn't get rid of this nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she knew a lot more about than that. But were and when would she have learned it?

Rosette sat up on the side of the bed and placed her feet on the cold hard wood floor. She looked around the room and figured out that from the clothes that hung in the closet, the dark mahogany wood dresser, and black silk sheets on the king sized bed that she was sitting on, that she was in Chrno's room. The demon himself was absent. Rosette glanced around and was rewarded when her eyes found the harsh green glare of a digital alarm clock reading 3:38. She stood up and shook out the wrinkled blue dress that she had worn all evening, and silently padded over to the dresser, Chrno was bound to be sleeping somewhere and if he was nice enough to let her sleep in his bed, then she should at least return the favor and not make any loud noises. She peered at the pictures that sat there, impulsive yes, and maybe prying a little bit, but something compelled her to look at pictures now.

Or maybe she was just nosey. Time to check is he had any hidden girlfriends!

There were plenty of pictures of scenery: sunsets, lakes, forests, cities, and random people. It seems that Chrno was quite the photographer in his spare time. That or he had compulsive buying disorders when it came to pictures. She walked along the length of the dresser ad paused when she finally got to one with people in it. It was Yuan. It was a close up shoot focusing on his face. Rosette was curious to why Yuan was the only face on his dresser when she spied a picture frame that had fallen over. She picked it up and almost dropped it when she looked at it.

There framed in glass was an old well preserved black and white photo. There were four people in it. A young woman with long dark hair, another teen with shorter lighter colored hair, a boy and then a preteen. It was her, Chrno and Az. And if she were to guess the other woman would have to be the one from her dream, Satella.

This did not make any sense, it was a dream. This picture was a reality.

Rosette grabbed the photo and stormed out into the hall. All forms of politeness be damned. Chrno was keeping something huge from her and she felt that she had every right to know what it was. Things were just too confusing with half memories or pieces of knowledge flitting through her mind.

(She had known Chrno for four years, and had watched him turn from a gloomy shadow into a vibrant spirit.

She had known Chrno for about a month, and had always admired the cheerful demon.)

(Az was a great singer. She always had been and always will be.)

(Joshua was gone. She had to find him.

Joshua was always with her, nothing was wrong.)

(She was dying and there was nothing that she could do about it.

She had a long promising life ahead of her.)

Rosette stumbled through a doorway and caught sight of Chrno lying on a couch.

"Chrno…" She mumbled.

The demon open one eye and glanced lazily at her. "Do you have a headache?" he asked.

She raised the picture, and he sat straight up when he caught sight of it.

She was panicking and she knew it. She did not know what was going on, but she wanted answers, but it was all she could do to keep her voice steady,

"Explain."

-End Ch. 8-

* * *

Yey, longest chapter I've written yet!

If you're confused, the part in bold is a dream sequence, it was something that actually happened in both the anime and manga. The part right before they meet Joshua again, where they're dancing and then they take a picture. She got that dream/ flash back because of the drink that Aion gave her earlier in the chapter. The sentences in the ( ) are facts of Rosette's past and current life. They mostly contradict each other, meaning that right now Rosette is trying to sort out her pasts, she hasn't remembered he whole past life, but the drink that Aion gave her has caused the start of her memories to come back to her. Who knows what will happen next? Stay tuned for the next chapter! And leave a review if you want.

On a side note I really hate summary that I have for this story right now. So I figure hey lets start a little contest! So if you can think of a better summary for this story please put it in a review!


	11. Chapter 9: Dreams

Hey everyone sorry, for the long wait. Last Christmas I was writing the Christmas segment of the story. This Christmas I'm finishing it off, how sad is that?

**Important! **

**I'm tired of the current summary for this story, if you have a better summary (hell, any other summary would be good) then just put it in a review I would be very much obliged.**

* * *

There hasn't been a disclaimer for the past few chapters, so this applies for those and all chapters to come.

Disclaimer: Don't own, fog off. (math joke, does anyone get it?)

* * *

The atmosphere at Chrno's apartment was filled with tension. Rosette lay on the borderline between panic and hysteria, and Chrno was just tired.

"What is this?" She asked tightly. Rosette was lost, half concentrating on the issues at hand and half consumed by the memories that did not make sense.

"A picture." Chrno stated, unsure of how to approach the subject.

"Yes I can see that." Rosette said back. "But why and am I there? Why are you there? Why is Azamaria there? Why is S-St-Sa" She fumbled over the name.

"Satella?" Chrno provided.

"Why is Satella there? Why do I know her? When I don't? How do I know her?" Rostte asked, a desperate pleading note bleeding into her voice. Her legs shook, as her confusion grew she became more and more tired.

Chrno got up and walked towards her, aware of the energy that it cost her to stand. As he neared her she flinched and took a minute step back. He hesitated and then put his arms around her. She leaned into his chest and slipped her arms around his waist, letting the picture drop onto the carpeted floor.

"How do I know you?" Rosette whispered voice strangled with an unknown emotion.

"Shhh. It's alright." Chrno whispered into her hair, "I'll explain as best as I can." He promised.

"You are in that picture, as well as Az, Satella and me. It was taken over a hundred years ago, here in New York when you were 16." Chrno paused contemplating how to continue on. "Demons can live for a couple thousand years. You died when you were 18."

Rosette felt Chrno tense as he pulled her closer. She had died. The statement made sense to her, and yet it didn't. She unable to quite grasp the concept that she had died. The thought just floated there mixing in with the rest of her disconnected memories. She shook her head, trying to pull the fragments together, as if it were some giant puzzle that would eventually connect.

"So many different things happened. Happy things, sad things. You were such a strong person, you still are too." Chrno murmured into her hair in what he hoped was a comforting manner, something he used to do all in the time in the past. He started talking, first hesitant about what to tell her, and how to say it, but after a short while the words just came tumbling out. He told her about Joshua, the Order, Aion, Az, the orphanage, how she used to destroy things, her violent manner towards the elder, everything he could remember. Everything except about him. He skimmed over their first meeting, their frequent visits when she was in the orphanage. Chrno gave her only the barest of details about their contract, and hastily summarized all their missions, the conflict with Aion, and barely mention the last two years of her life.

It was just too painful.

He had concluded that the substance that Aion had slipped into her drink was the catalyst that had caused her memories to come back to her in a confusing, chaotic swirl. He was certain that she would have remembered over time. Familiar places where main events had happened, and the places that they used to frequent had triggered something in the back of her mind. If time had taken its course they would have probably slipped back to her in dreams and waking visions. Slowly and gradually she would have been able to revisit memory after memory. Now from what he could surmise all she was a mess of in her head, her present and past life mashed together in no certain order, thus making it hard to distinguish between the two. He hoped that telling her, her life in chronological order would help her put her memories in order, but he had no clue of telling which memories she had, all of them, or fragments from different sections of her life. Chrno couldn't guess what Aion had planned doing this, at least not at the moment. He had to deal with the current issue at hand, which was his Rosette.

The amethyst eyed demon told Rosette as little of him as possible because… Well because… Well there was no set reason. It could have been that he just didn't want to scare her away. It might have been because he just didn't want to revisit painful memories. It probably was because he wanted her to draw her own conclusions of him, based on her past and present feelings, and intervening in that would have just felt like he was making her like him. Chrno wanted Rosette to tell him that she loved him because she really did, not because he told her she did.

He stopped talking when he felt Rosette to pull away from his embrace. He let his arms fall to the side and stared slightly at her. Rosette figure was covered in shadows. The lone beam of light belonged to the moon outside that had managed to peek through his curtains and fall in a slant around her eyes, making them glow. Her hair no longer resembled the colour of liquid honey, but rather a metallic brown. It rustled slightly as she spoke, Chrno felt that her would rather concentrate on that than the words coming out of her mouth. These were the words that their new relationship would start off with, would she want to stay with him or-

"I want to go home."

His eyes quickly snapped shut in an effort to hide the pain.

* * *

**They sat there, in front of their little house, on their porch. Maybe if she was a normal girl and Chrno was a normal guy they would have had a life centered around this house. Going to work during the day, coming come to each other at night. Sitting together just enjoying each other's company. It would have been a nice life. She would have wanted kids, two or three, at least one girl and one boy. Maybe they could have adopted, she remembered what it was like to be an orphan. It would have been a big family. **

**She watched the sunset; hand would tightly around Chrno's. There was so much more she could have done with her life. She was always been strong, thinking about the best way to live in the present. It did no good to think of a future that she probably wouldn't have. All that it did was create self pity. Surely she had been strong enough that she could afford to be weak at the end. She wanted to live longer, have a fuller life. She wanted to see Chrno smile more, and laugh with joy. Not the pained husk that he was now reduced to, with the wound that Aion gave him left unhealed. She could fix that, with one flick of the watch and the last bit of her life. It would have been put to good use wouldn't it? **

**It became harder and more taxing to breath. She felt a wave of desperation wash over and she flung her arms around Chrno sobbing into his small body. She wanted to live, and cried it, thought it, wished it. She felt Chrno's arms come around her as she cried. She knew that he felt guilty, but he shouldn't. It wasn't his fault; the blame could be put on the fates, and the road that they had traveled, a very rough path that only they would ever travel. She loved him, with all her might, and he loved her back, with the same intensity, maybe even more. The thought calmed her down somewhat, she could feel a warm glow all over her body, a mixture of Chrno's love and the sun's dying rays. Satisfied she closed her eyes and whispered three words.**

"**I love you."**

* * *

Rosette was awake but she didn't want to open her eyes. Opening her eyes would mean that she would acknowledge that she was awake. That she would have to face the mess that had replaced her brain. That she would have to remember the shadowed pained look on Chrno's face when he told him that she wanted to leave.

He was a mystery. He was no longer Yuan's friend that had seemed vaguely familiar. He had a place in her heart, mind and soul. But what was it? A sorrowful looking demon that she had taken pity upon as a child? Her best friend? Surrogate brother? A past lover? (As the latest addition to her memories had suggested.) Or all of the above? What he had told her last night had helped somewhat but her mind was still a mess. He had barely mention anything about himself, what did that mean?

The time he had really showed anything about their relationship was when she was getting out of his car, about to enter the apartment complex in which she lived. He caught her arm and then had said- She screwed her eyes even tighter that but that did nothing to dispel –the event?-

"_Rosette haven't you ever wanted something to never end? To keep on going? Have you ever lost something so dear to you, or made such a mistake that you wish that you could turn back the sands of time?" Chrno's eyes were filled with such an intensity and desperate longing that Rosette was unable to look away. "A second chance. That's what I-" His voice caught in his throat , she could almost see the words that were struggling to burst out. She couldn't decide whether or not she wanted to hear them. His grip on her arm loosened and his hand slowly slid down and off her arm. Suddenly she was filed with an intense longing to find out what he was going to say, she wanted to put her hands against his face before he turned away and read the words that were about to fall off his lips. But she didn't, she let him give her one more short intense look and drive away. She didn't know who he was anymore, she didn't know if she ever did._

A soft knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts. She quickly relaxed her eyes and lay motionless on her bed, breathing deep and steady. The door opened a crack.

"Rosette?" Yuan's voice said softly, "You awake?" No response. "Well maybe you are, maybe you aren't. When you get up have a look at this folder. Some things in it might interest you." A light thump was heard and the door was closed.

Clear blue eyes opened and stared at the door. Yuan had been alive back in her memories too, the same minister that had watched over her, was now her adoptive uncle. She knew what he said had something to do with what had happened … was it last night, or this morning? Chrno must have said something, when he opened the door for her at 4:00 AM his eyes held such a mixture of pity, happiness and pain. Pain he felt for a demon friend. Pain that she did not want to be responsible for.

Her eyes drifted down to a discolored folder. She reached out, stretching over the carpet and snagged the folder with her finger tips. It was the same folder that she had found in the Archives. Her fingers drifted over a name. Azamaria. She knew her. The blonde flipped the folder open and pulled a random page out of the pile, leaving a finger in between the papers to mark the place in with it had come from.

_It's been a year and a half since Rosette and Chrno have gone missing. I've tried as hard as I could to fine them, enlisting the help of people who had loved and adored the couple. But they're gone. So is Aion. Most people have assumed that all three are dead, ending a conflict that might have destroyed the world. Almost everyone has given up hope that they're alive._

_I won't. I know that they're alive. Chrno and Rosette had gone through too much pain to die now. I know that Rosette doesn't have much time left, but she can't be dead. He loves her too much. And she-_

The rest of the page was illegible due to the moisture marks that were splattered all over it, marks that Rosette could only recognize as tears. She slipped the page back and pulled out another one closer to the top.

_I don't know why I'm recording their lives, they should be here to do it themselves, but obliviously they decided that after the defeat of Aion that they deserved a little break. I only wish that they had taken me with them. But then again they deserve a little time to themselves too… Minister Remington asked me to start recording what I knew of their early history, he told me not to worry too much about it though, when the two of them decide to wander back they can fill in the massive blanks. I would ask Joshua but he still is stuck in his little kid mentality. The sisters watching over him say that he's not doing too well, he won't eat as much as he needs unless he sees his "Nee-san", or Chrno. I think that he's in denial, he can't or won't admit to all the pain that he has caused Rosette or Chrno. _

_I'm trying to figure out Chrno's last name, do demons even have last names? So far I've turned up with nothing. I asked Miniter Remington about it the other day and he said that the "thought that Chrno would just take Rosette's last name." I didn't quite understand that, so-_

Rosette put the paper back in the folder. There were hints to their relationship all through out what Azamaria was writing. A voice asked in the back of her head, if it could possibly be the same Azamaria that she knew now, but she didn't have time for that right now. Everything that she had read had dances around the point, what had she felt for Chrno? Was it an unrequited love on his part, or did they really only have a brother sister relationship? She had questions and she wanted answers, and sitting around and moping in her room were not going to give her those answers.

She pushed the blanket of her body and stood up, padding over the door and upon opening it she announced, "Yuan I want to go back to the archives!"

Pppppppppppppppppppppppp

Joshua smiled dreamily, and sighed with content. If it were any other day he would have been disgusted with himself, mooning over a girl. But today was special, well actually it was more of last night. Yuan must have been so happy with himself sending him and Az on a job about possessed mistletoe. At first he had been angry, but nope, not anymore, especially when he had gotten a few kisses out of it. His smile stretched even wider, life was pretty sweet. He didn't know why Rosette was making such a fuss in the background; she had gone off with Chrno and they were made for each other.

* * *

**It was dark. **

**She couldn't see her hand as she waved it in front of her nose. Or at least she thought she was. Her senses were dead. Her orientation was gone. She was floating in a black nothingness. **

**Now what?**

**The blackness flickered for a split second to be replaced by a dark grey and then again going back into black. **

**A naked light bulb flickered on with a buzzing sound somewhere above her head. She tilted her head back to locate exactly were the light bulb was located and squinted again the harsh light that attacked her retinas. She moved her hand up to shield her eyes, but stopped when she felt pricks all along her wrists. She looked down and blinked at the metal cuffs, lined with spikes, which were constraining her wrists. Moving her eyes down to her feet, she saw that they had also received the same treatment. **

**Welded to the cuffs were chains that were bolted to the glass floor, giving her a little less than a foot to move. Underneath her was a giant clock, its ticks soundless as the second hand moved around and around, the minute and hour hand falling suit. **

**Some thing in front of her appeared. It was a flat white screen. Its cream completion was broken when the number ten appeared on it. The screen flickered and then it began counting down as it did in those old movies.**

**10**

**beep**

**Her breath caught in her throat.**

**9**

**beep**

**What was she in? This had to be a dream.**

**8**

**beep**

**Wake up, wake up, she chanted to herself. **

**7**

**beep**

**Fear began to well from inside her. She tried to get rid of it the second she felt it. Panicking would do no good now. **

**6**

**beep**

**What was there to be afraid of? She was just going to watch something. Being chained down didn't necessarily mean that something bad was going to happen.**

**5**

**beep**

**She closed her eyes.**

**4**

**beep**

**She opened them back up. Running away wasn't going to do anything either.**

**3**

**beep**

**How had she fallen asleep anyways? Last she remembered she was at the archives sitting between shelves and shelves of documents.**

**2**

**beep**

**She shifted slightly. Damn it. Blood started tricking down her wrists and ankles.**

**1**

**beep**

**Something wet and sticky slipped its way down her face, she could feel a faint sting all around the top of her head. It slipped down to lips and she used her tongue to taste exactly what it was. Warm and metallic tasting. Blood. What the hell?**

**0**

**beep**

**Begin.**

-End Ch. 9-

* * *

Well guys that wasn't too long a wait was it? Lol, sorry life is slightly (okay maybe very) hectic at the moment. But I hope that you guys like your Christmas present! And if you don't celebrate Christmas then just replace Christmas with what ever you celebrate.

Happy holidays everyone!

A review as a Christmas present would be much appreciated.


End file.
